Una in Perpetuum
by DaenerysTargary3n
Summary: During and post "Dominion", AU after that. While Adria is on Odyssey, Daniel sees a part of Vala he was never quite sure existed and finds himself drawn to her in her hour of need, but such a union of minds and souls so different is hard to sustain...
1. A Mother's Pain

**Author's Note:**

First of all, I do not own any of the Stargate franchise, least of all Stargate SG-1, though I heartily wish I did! This story is going to be less action-packed than the TV series episodes were, as my goal was to get to the heart of the characters and explore their personalities and emotions, which especially in the case of Vala, I felt was not achieved in the final seasons of the series. Her relationship with Daniel is an intricate and interesting one, which intrigued me in the episode "Dominion", though as the penultimate episode, nothing was made of it, but I am certain had there been an 11th season, something would have developed there.

That said, I hope you like this story, which I've already planned out and there should be 25 chapters of it, so it's going to be a long one, which I hope you'll stick around to read and do please review, as I'm always trying to improve my writing for my next stories and chapters! For any who do not understand Latin out there, the title of the story means "Together Forever", but I thought it sounded classier in Latin.

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**Chapter I – A Mother's Pain**

Vala watched as the Tok'ra and Sam leaned over the unconscious body of Adria, performing the same surgery that the Tok'ra had performed on her many years ago, in what felt like a different lifetime. Now, having only the power to be a bystander as the girl that should have been her baby, her daughter, her family, endured the same pains was torture to Vala and her ability to withstand the tears that threatened to wash her face was withering and soon she would be a mess in front of the rest of her team.

She would not appear to be weak and emotional now, not in front of the others who would not let her be here if she proved herself to be compromised, so she gracefully set herself back on the floor and glided from the observation room where the video feed was being streamed from the operating room.

Once she was out of that place, Vala rubbed her hands over her fatigued face, wishing it all could just be over and Adria would be gone and she would no longer have to worry for her and feel culpable for all the evil she committed in this galaxy and the Ori galaxy.

Vala heard footsteps as a man entered the room behind her. There was no doubt which of her teammates would have felt sympathy or concern for her to make such a gesture and when the words of comfort fell from his lips, her suspicions were confirmed.

"Vala, are you all right?" he said, his voice rife with compassion.

She composed herself and regained her countenance, "Yes, Daniel, I'm fine," her subterfuge could only go so far with Daniel Jackson, so she looked away from the face that she normally never hesitated to look at.

He pulled her back, "I don't think so, Vala. Adria is your daughter and no matter what happened or what she has done, she is still your daughter."

"No, Daniel! She's not! The Ori used me to bring her into the world, I was an incubator, a machine at best and she's not my daughter. She's the creation of the Ori!" Vala screamed.

He sighed heavily at her denial of her feelings, but he was not prepared to let her get away with running from her true emotions, "Vala, you feel for her and whether you like it or not, I know you love her in your own way. She's your family and it hurts you to see her being treated in this way, but you know you can't stop it and it hurts, Vala! Don't try and deny it."

"I won't deny my feelings, but I do not love that girl, she is not my family. I don't think I've ever spent more than five minutes alone with the girl you claim is my own flesh and blood, so don't dare to preach to me how I've got to love her!"

The fear and shame that poured from every word of Vala's astounded Daniel to his very core. He drew her fragile, lovely hand into his own and pulled her closer to his body, where she was always trying so hard to be, he was inviting her to be nearer to him.

"Talk to me." He said, wiping the tears now flowing down her beautifully defined cheeks.

"I…I feel as if I have to help her, help her be herself, not the Orici or the leader of the Ori and bringer of Origin. She is Adria. I gave her that name, sure, she told me she liked it, but I, her mother, named her and then I left and did nothing to take her with me so that she might have been far from the reaches of the Ori. Her mother abandoned her to the forces that wished to manipulate and manoeuvre her into doing their bidding. Everything that she has done as the Orici, I should have prevented."

Daniel pulled her tightly into his embrace as he felt her pain and grief at being helpless to aid her daughter. She went willingly and enfolded him back in her own arms, clinging to her Daniel for the strength she currently required and which he was always there to give her without qualms.

"Vala, none of this is your fault and what you're feeling now is precisely what I felt when," he took a deep breath, "when Sha're was killed and I did not stop Teal'c. He had to kill her, as Amonet, to save my life but in doing so he murdered Sha're. It took him a long time to forgive himself, as it took me even more time to forgive both him and me for allowing her to die, yet it was the Goa'uld who were entirely responsible for her death and much like the Ori are responsible for Adria's existence, they too will bear the ultimate responsibility for her death."

Daniel laughed grimly, "And you know what? I've not ever talked about Sha're like that – honestly – to anyone else but you, right here, right now."

Vala pulled back after Daniel's long speech, "Why tell me? Why now? Why did you not talk to Jack or Sam or even Teal'c before now?"

He thought for a moment, but then spoke in a sincere voice, "Because I don't think any of them would truly comprehend what it's like to feel that kind of guilt and pain when someone you love dies and you feel you might have been able, even in the bleakest scenario, to save them. You do and I do, so we can be there for each other."

As Daniel spoke, Vala gazed into his eyes and felt for the first time, that she was being spoken to equally by Daniel, not as an immature girl or as a teammate newer on the SG-1 scene, but as a companion and an equal in feelings and experiences. It was an utterly novel experience for her, but she found it strangely pleasant. There was something, though, about the way Daniel made her feel safe and like she was not the worst mother in the world or the worst person, but entirely good and loved.

Daniel felt the electric pull between them both at that moment when he caught her eyes with his own stare and he very nearly brought his lips to hers, when true to form, Mitchell came rushing to pull them from the room and into the hall, announcing that there had been problems with Adria's surgery.

However, between the archaeologist and the treasure-hunter/thief, there was definitely something big brewing, and both had just become alertly aware of it…


	2. The Last Deed of the Orici

**Chapter II – The Last Deed of the Orici**

Vala had walked into the room where Adria lay dying with a sense of unease and extreme discomfort, not because her daughter was about to be killed by the Tok'ra who had not been able to save her life because Ba'al had released the deadly toxin into her system before he was killed, which had led to Adria's comatose state, but because after her almost moment with Daniel, she did feel that her duty as her mother required her to be present at her daughter's death, which she had more or less given Mitchell permission to order.

The members of SG-1, with the exception of Daniel, who had endeared himself to her and whom she wished to be with her as she watched the life exit her daughter's corpse for good, had departed to the observation room, where they could watch the procedure through a video link.

Vala approached Adria, who looked so serene and peaceful as she drifted further and further away from life and hesitantly cleared her still face of a loose curl that had fallen unkempt. Daniel in turn, approached Vala and rested his hand lightly, but reassuringly, on her shoulder for comfort and support he knew she would be craving from him. As the Tok'ra began to inject the toxin that would speedily end Adria's life, her eyes flashed open and she quickly despatched the man at the other end of the syringe.

Events after that happened with such a rapid pace that Vala could hardly react to all. Daniel was flung with one glare from the Orici from the room and the door separated him from Vala, as all the doors enclosed the mother and daughter in the room, excluding all other intruders. Once Vala had grasped that Adria was once again with them all in what seemed to be all of her former power, did she wish she was on the other side of the door with Daniel.

"Well, mother, it would appear my powers are not dwindled too much as of yet." The Orici spoke with a tense, quiet voice.

"Vala! Vala, can you hear me? Vala!" Daniel's voice shouted from the other side of the solid metal door.

Daniel's voice conveyed so much care and worry for her that Vala was shocked. Nobody ever had sounded as though she mattered so much to them as Daniel did in that moment. As Vala moved to reply, her daughter cautioned her, "Don't, you must say nothing."

Vala's heart sank as she heeded Adria's words, "Adria, if you want to kill me please just do it."

"Mother, if I wanted you dead I would have killed you long ago." the Orici spoke with a deadly sincerity, "no, in fact, this body is dying, but I must use the time I have remaining wisely."

Vala's ears pricked at her choice of words, "Wisely? What does that mean?"

She smiled weakly, "I must use my time to prepare for ascension."

Vala hoped that a rescue would reach her and stop her daughter before her ascension was a possibility, but with the majority of SG-1 outside the doors and her powerless to stop her daughter, she knew her hopes were futile.

"Adria, please, you do not have to do all this," Vala pleaded.

"It's true, mother that this was not part of the original plan, but I can still accomplish much as an ascended being."

Vala scoffed, "You mean, more deaths and more destruction? As I said before, you don't have to do it."

It was Adria's turn to scoff, "Don't attempt to appeal to my compassion. We all know I'm not your daughter, by your own words!"

The words that spat with acid from Adria's lips hit Vala with a vengeance and slowly, painfully reached her heart. There was nothing left for her to say to the woman who now threw off all ties of blood, just as she had done. By disowning her daughter, Vala had given Adria's entire nature to desire her mother's goodwill and friendship to the dogs and now nobody had the power of mind or body to stop her.

Daniel and SG-1 were all trying to reach Vala and Adria but to no avail. The worry that had flooded Daniel's mind when no response had come from Vala to his shouts was tearing through his mind, willing him on. When he made contact with his team, they were also trying to get past the jammed doors that Adria was holding closed with her profound telekinetic powers, though, when the coolant began shooting into the hall where Daniel was, he knew that if Vala was able to hear him shout for his life on the other side of the door, she would act against Adria and she might have a chance at success.

"Your friends are very persistent." Adria said weakly while scrunching her eyes with the toll of using her powers draining her last remnants of strength.

"Adria, stop it!"

"Vala, please, I need you to open the doors," a voice coughed harshly, "right now!"

Once she heard Daniel's voice in dire need of help, Vala knew that she had to once again make a choice and this time Daniel was her decision. She picked up a gun and pointed it at her daughter, ready to shoot but the small hesitation lost her gun as it was flung from her grasp.

"I always wondered if you'd ever be able to kill me yourself."

Adria smiled as Vala's hands jumped to her throat as she tried to free herself from the choke hold that was lifting her up into the air and painfully suffocating her. There was no time to think about Daniel being poisoned on the other side of the door, nor how she would die staring into the cold eyes of the child she was never supposed to carry and knowing that really her life had not amounted to much after all, all the dying woman could think was that now would be a great time for a rescue.

Suddenly, Vala was on the floor surrounded by lifeless bodies and when she looked up at the bed where Adria had lain, there was no sign of her. As she rose to her feet, the rest of SG-1 and others entered the room; guns held up and ready to shoot the Orici, but finding none.

When Daniel saw the empty bed and Vala standing upright and seemingly uninjured by the whole ordeal, he breathed a sigh of relief but still placed himself close to her, needing the reassurance that she really was all right and safe. He knew Adria had now ascended and in the future that might cause a whole array of problems for them to handle, but for the right now, he was merely glad that she was gone. The look that had passed between him and Vala when she had said her daughter was gone was one of relief and comfort at seeing the other safe and beside each other.

A voice echoed through the room, "SG-1, we are on our way home. E.t.a. two days from now."


	3. Aftermath

**Chapter III – Aftermath**

As the Odyssey swam smoothly homewards through hyperspace, Vala and Daniel stayed apart from the rest of SG-1, uncharacteristic for both of them, but they were coming to terms with what happened to the Orici and how the dynamic in their relationship with each other had somewhat changed. Daniel had retreated to the hologram room for his musing, where he felt calmer amongst the alien symbols of the language of the Asgard, whilst Vala had found herself sitting on a ledge in Daniel's office, where she would place herself when all the members of SG-1 were present and discussing some problem. It was her place.

Vala had always suffered from horrific and incredibly real night terrors, but after she had witnessed her daughter's departure from this world, they had increased in quantity and sheer horror. Each time they plagued her sleep, every night for the past week since Adria had gone, Vala had awoken in a cold sweat and had been unable to find serenity again. She saw all the possibilities and probabilities in her dreams, some in which she would kill Adria before she ascended, others in which she would watch her teammates kill her daughter only for Adria to confess that she wanted to be her daughter and not the Orici but it was too late and her mother had condemned her innocent.

Vala flinched for nobody but herself as she recalled one particular nightmare where Adria had killed her by lifting her into the air and throttling all the air from her lungs and not releasing until her body was bereft of every shred of life. She had then gone on to see her daughter perish from the small amount of toxin injected into her and SG-1 arrive onto the scene only to mourn their lost friend. Cam watched as Daniel pulled her body into his arms, stoic as ever and unwilling to show feelings of grief, Sam knelt beside her and forlornly called her name, Teal'c stood stalwartly beside Cameron as his face fell and his head bowed in respect and mourning for the fallen and Daniel…Daniel so affected by the sight and feel of Vala's corpse that he held her so tightly that bruises would discolour her alabaster skin and scream for her to come back, though no words would pull her from the land of the dead back to Daniel. She wasn't him after all…she would only return from death the one time, she was sure of it.

That particular horrific scenario had played out for her only last night, so the memory of it still coursed freshly through her mind. Alongside dealing with her emotions constantly being toyed with by her dreams, she also found herself grieving for her daughter, which she found surprising as she had never really seen Adria as her child until now. Now that she had gone.

Slow tears streamed down her cheeks as Vala whispered to herself, "She was not your daughter, she was only a child of the Ori, nothing more, Vala, she is ascended now and not even dead, so there's even less need for these stupid tears!"

All Vala desired and needed was to distract herself and cheer up, but everyone seemed quite content to allow her to remain in her rut of self-despair – even Daniel – so she felt somewhat at sea and without any one to turn to, but what was unusual was that since joining SG-1, the feeling of loneliness and isolation had not afflicted her so much as it used to when she was only a smuggler and thief and had no constant friends but now she felt just as lonely as she had been accustomed to feel in the old days and no one had come to help her.

Daniel was pacing back and forth slowly but surely across the hologram room, encircled by the floating blue Asgard script that parted like the Red Sea each time he breached it and reassembled each time he no longer was an obstruction only to be ruined again momentarily. He had his own opinions on recent events that needed thinking about, among them, Adria's ascension and why Vala had not come to see him at all as of late.

The matter of Adria's ascension had taken care of an issue in the short term, but in the long term, it worried him greatly. He knew from experience that ascended beings wielded great power and if a rogue among them wished to usurp their strength and use it for their own selfish, evil ends then the others would do nothing to stop them, as things had occurred with Anubis and himself. The only thing they seemed to care about is that none among them help lesser beings to ascend or interfere in their lives.

Adria wasn't even one of the Ancients, she had ascended on "the other side", with all the power of the Ori, who had been wiped out at her disposal and she would have enough power to pose a significant threat to the Ancients and possibly overcome them, should she make her move. Daniel thought when Oma Desala had engaged Anubis in an eternal duel, sacrificing her life to consume all of his energy, her nobility was common among the Ancients but now, it occurred to him that it was all so scarce among the higher beings, who played with humans like chess pieces.

"Jack was right – for once – being human and descending was the correct course of action. Not that I'm ever telling him that…" Daniel murmured.

Thinking of people who were right, Daniel's thoughts went towards a tricky subject…Vala. A woman who had intrigued him from the moment he met her because of her crazy instincts and endearing manner, which had made him care for her in ways that he did not care for his other teammates. When he had spoken of Sha're with her, he felt himself utterly trust her and share her feelings. He let her see the very essence of him and his innermost feelings, which he normally guarded with such caution, but he knew he could allow Vala such liberties as those.

Strange that Vala, who usually sought him out if something or nothing was troubling her, had kept her distance from him and everybody else over the past week. He knew he had done the same, but he had not wished to crowd her and intrude on her grief. He expected her to find her way to him eventually, but before now. It bugged him that she had not come to see him and he wondered if she was all right.

With a heavy sigh, he rose and quit the room which he had occupied excessively of late. While in his office, Vala got to her feet and left Daniel's office in her wake to go in search of its owner.

After asking many of the Odyssey's crew if they had recently seen Daniel, Vala was unnerved that all had replied that they had not seen the archaeologist; even Sam, Cam and Teal'c were uncertain where Daniel seemed to be hiding out as a week had passed since he had asked for some space. She had looked in the commissary, the gym, his living quarters, the hologram room and the bridge, but had unearthed no relic of Daniel Jackson.

Daniel had found Vala as she flitted down one of Odyssey's empty grey corridors. He was about to make himself known to her when she crossed paths with a sergeant, whose name he did not know, but upon hearing him say to her that he had no clue where Dr. Jackson was, she let out what could only be described as a heart-wrenching sob in despair at not being able to find the man she sought. He followed her for a while longer as she covered the rest of the ship in search of him and each time a negative response came in answer to her inquiries, she became more beleaguered and needful of him, still unaware he trailed her. He did feel regret at increasing her pain, but he knew what would come from her needing him all the more and feeling his absence more…a deeper relationship between them, as he had finally figured it out.

Having apparently grown fatigued of the quest for Daniel, Vala slumped into a chair in her room and put her head in her hands.

"He's probably avoiding me, though I don't know why. If I've done something wrong, I can't think what it is and even if I wanted to apologise for whatever it is, I can't because I can't find the idiot!" Vala's voice went from miserable to just frustrated.

Daniel smiled lightly at the return of Vala's usual quirky self and popped his head round the door, "Hello, sunshine, been looking for me?"

The second Vala heard and recognised Daniel's familiar voice she jumped up and ran at him, enveloping him in her arms and hugging his waist with her thighs, "My Daniel! I found you!"

"Yes, you did. Well done, Vala." Daniel smiled at her face only inches from his own.

Once Vala dismounted and reached terra firma, she led Daniel over to the standard double bed that was featured in all the rooms on the ship. When they had sat beside each other, she neglected to release her strong grip on his hand, but this was a usual mannerism, one of the few in the past which Daniel had found unobjectionable.

"So, why haven't I seen you before today over the past week, huh?" Daniel asked with a warm smile.

"I needed to think. I had to get my thoughts sorted before I saw you, but then I realised that you hadn't come to see me and I was worried."

Daniel chuckled at her concern and pulled her into a grateful hug, "Vala, I more or less did the same thing today, you know. I realised you hadn't come to see me and I went looking for you, but I found you and just followed you round the ship for about 10 minutes."

Vala's eyelids pricked up as she understood what crafty Daniel had pulled on her, he had watched her and followed her round Odyssey as she had anxiously asked _everyone_ whom she encountered if they had seen Daniel. He had seen her nearly weep with frustration and sadness when he continued to elude her and all the time, he was right behind her!

"You absolute bastar-"

Vala was interrupted by a set of lips softly pressing against hers and cutting her speech off and normally she hated to be interrupted. Today was evidently not normal though and she loved this interruption.

The kiss was tender and light and was over too fast, but Daniel pulled back and took Vala's face in his and gazed into her deep brown eyes, "Vala, I'm not really sorry for what I did because it made me see just how much I mean to you _really_. I never realised that you actually do care so much for people, though you pretend you don't most of the time, but since Adria and when we talked before, I've seen you differently and I love the sweet and gentle person who I now see that you are."

Vala's mouth opened slightly and unfortunately a yawn, which turned into a gasp came out, "Oh my god, Daniel, I'm so sorry! It's just I'm really tired and I've spent a long time looking for you and I felt tired when I couldn't find you. Today's been a lot to process," she exclaimed, but kissed Daniel on the cheek in apology.

Laughing hard, Daniel took her and pulled her back on the bed until his back rested against the headboard and Vala's head fell neatly onto his chest, "That's fine, sweetheart. Let's get some rest and we'll talk some more later."

Vala murmured her assent and snuggled in closer to Daniel's warm, muscular body and after feeling a soft kiss on her hair, drifted off into peaceful sleep, Daniel following her after a while.


	4. Hearts & Home

**Author's Note:**

Thank you everyone who has left me reviews. I have corrected the issue about Vala's eye colour, which surprised me that I was in error, as I checked a biography of Claudia Black to check on what colour her eyes were and it said brown, so there are colour contact lenses involved and I apologise for my unawareness of their presence in the filming of "Stargate SG-1". Please do continue reading and letting me know what you think of the story and writing!

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**Chapter IV – Hearts & Home**

Teal'c had been deep in a state of Kelno'reem after the death of the Orici and had been meditating on the effects Adria's demise was having and would have on his teammates and friends. He had witnessed Vala's turmoil, which he understood she faced both as Adria's mother and as a human being capable of deep compassion and hope. He knew, however, that Vala would find her comfort with the one person to whom she felt closest out of all of her new friends…Daniel.

He had not seen her for a while after the Odyssey jumped into hyperspace, but felt comfort in the knowledge that after a long while of solitude, she had found Daniel, having been asked if he knew his location during Vala's long search for her confidant. During what was an induced night on the ship (otherwise known as time when the commander was not on the bridge), Teal'c patrolled the long, empty hallways of the ship and ensured that all was secure.

He came upon one of the major living quarters on the Odyssey as he was en route back to his own room and wondered if Doctor Jackson might enjoy joining him in some Kelno'reem, so he paused outside Daniel's room.

"Daniel Jackson? Daniel Jackson, are you awake?"

He heard nothing in the room to suggest his friend was awake, but wondered if everything was well with Daniel, so quietly opened the automatic doors anyway. The sight before him surprised him to say the least.

Atop the sheets of Dr. Jackson's bed was its owner gently snoring with his glasses askew and falling off his nose with his arms strongly wrapped around a slumbering female figure who was sprawled out beside him, resting her head on his chest. Both were fully clothed, Teal'c noted, but as he retreated from his friend's quarters, he mused at how peacefully both slept in each other's company, when apart, he knew both endured sleepless nights and night terrors often. His friends were well-matched and it had only taken Vala to experience the emotional turmoil she had suffered and Daniel to realise there was significantly more to the woman whom he had previously thought to be only a girlish, flirty con artist. Now, things were how they were supposed to be between the pair and Teal'c hoped that both would overcome their heavy emotional luggage and move forward to create a life for each other and with each other.

"Indeed." With a final, knowing smile and a raised eyebrow, Teal'c left the room.

Hours later, two figures which seemed to be entangled together and moulded as one awoke from a blissful, uninterrupted night's rest.

"Good morning."

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Vala replied blearily, "Good morning, darling."

After making a quick check that he did indeed still sport the correct garments on his body and Vala had not done something foolish, he sat up and watched as she roused herself properly from sleep, stretching her long arms and rolling her head.

"You know, you really are beautiful when you wake up."

Vala giggled, "Daniel, _no one_ is beautiful when they wake up," Vala leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on his lips, "but thank you for trying."

Daniel pulled her slender body towards him and embraced her in a tight hug and felt her arms wrap around him in turn. He felt his hand move almost instinctively to her wild black hair, unkempt and matted, yet still beautifully cascading around her slender face. As he smoothed the locks somewhat neatly into place, his lips moved to kiss her hair while she tightened her grip around him.

"So what do you want to do now?" Daniel asked tentatively.

"Now?"

"About us, Vala."

She pulled away from his embrace to gaze into his eyes, "I don't know," her lips turned up, "but I know I would like there to be an us."

It was Daniel's turn to be amused, "Good answer. I think, though, that we should just keep this…" he hesitated, "development to ourselves until we can answer that first question with a definite answer. What do you say?"

"I agree. Let's wait until we get home and see where things go from there and then, if," Vala smiled, "or should I say, when we decide the time is right, we can tell people."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Daniel, I'm hungry."

Falling out of bed in rolls of laughter, the couple readied themselves to be seen in the mess hall, though Daniel did get there a short while after Vala, as she would not be kept from sustenance only to keep their new _understanding _a secret.

_Two days later…_

"Unscheduled off-world activation! I repeat, unscheduled off-world activation! Calling General Landry to the control room."

As usually happened when the Stargate activated with an unscheduled dial-up the SGC was teaming with armed personnel racing into the gate room. Along with key members of the organisation hurrying to the control room to witness any contact or arrivals, whichever members of SG-1 were in the close vicinity of the control room would enter the control room along with the General.

On this occasion, Daniel Jackson and Cam Mitchell found their way to the hub of Stargate Command and were standing alongside General Landry when Walter pulled up an audio feed that was being streamed through the wormhole.

"Hello? Hello, Vala? Is anyone there? Is this stupid device even working, I wouldn't know I stole it from a very unwholesome chap, whom I wouldn't trust really, but the device seemed to work."

"I've had enough of this," Landry said impatiently, leaning toward the microphone on the control panel, "who is this, please?"

"Is that the General? General Landry?" A man's voice asked.

"It is, but who – may I ask – are you?" Landry asked, getting more agitated as the conversation endured.

"Good to hear from you, General, so great. Why, it's your old friend," a happy, jokey laugh punctuated his speech, "Jacek. So, please lower your shield and permit my wife and I to come through the Stargate."

Anyone in the control room could have heard the distinctly depressed sighs of Dr. Jackson, Colonel Mitchell and General Landry. Most of Cheyenne Mountain knew that the name 'Jacek' meant trouble, and trouble for one of the most cherished people on the base…Vala Mal Doran, Jacek's estranged daughter.

Daniel spoke, "Jacek, it's Daniel Jackson. Would your wife be Adria?"

"Why, yes, she is. Vala must remember her and speak of her often for you to know her name. I'm glad. Does this mean we're being let through to Earth?"

With a glance to his superiors, Daniel said firmly, "No, it most definitely does not, Jacek. Why would we let you through the gate after your antics here on your last visit?"

Jacek laughed, "Well, that's the thing, you see, I'm in a bit of a fix and I – we – desperately require your assistance and want to relocate to your fair, hospitable planet."

Mitchell then weighed in, "Jacek, you hang tight for a while and we'll have a confab and talk about what we'll do about you, you slimeball, agreed?"

Silence swept through the air after the previous waves of chatter, but Jacek responded, "Of course, naturally, Colonel Mitchell. Just say hi to my little girl for me from me and her stepmother."

The gate shut down and General Landry returned to the microphone and said into it, "Vala Mal Doran and SG-1 report to the briefing room at once, please."

Once all members of the primary SG team were present in the briefing room, along with Hank Landry, the discussion of whether Vala's family should be allowed access to Earth began. It had been decided, as Vala still had no inkling that her father had made contact, that Daniel would be the one to explain the current situation and more importantly, just who were the players.

"Vala, a few minutes ago, your father made audio contact with Stargate Command through the gate from an unknown planet. He is requesting to be once again granted access to Earth and to live here on a permanent basis."

Vala laughed, fully knowing her father, "And what does he offer in return?"

"Well…we don't know, but there's one more thing. Your stepmother," Daniel took a long breath, "Adria is with him and expecting to come through the gate with Jacek."

Vala sat bolt upright in her chair upon hearing the name that she did not expect to fall from Daniel's lips, "Well…I…Ad-…What?"

Daniel looked at her with love in his eyes that he could not show her at the moment, "Vala, I'm sorry, but yes, your father and stepmother are together."

Vala's eyes darted around the room, meeting the eyes of each of her teammates who were staring at her with various emotions registering in their eyes: Daniel looked apologetic, Sam was concerned, Mitchell was cautious, Teal'c was…Teal'c and General Landry was looking at her expecting her to elaborate on what she thought was her family's situation.

"As you all know, I haven't had any contact with my father – or his wife, for that matter – since he came here the last time. My stepmother and he, last time I heard, had separated and were no longer on speaking terms, which is usual for my father and his relationships. They barely lasted longer than months, no more than a year at most, but he spent longer with Adria than any of them. They bonded over their love of conning people and thievery. I believe they actually met in the Thieves' Guild on a small planet-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt what promises to be a fascinating story about two star-crossed thieves, but can we get on to something relevant?" Mitchell asked.

Daniel shot the "official" leader of his team a stern look when he interrupted Vala rather harshly, which the colonel thought odd behaviour for Dr. Jackson who normally grew tired of Vala's lengthy narratives far faster than he did, but something had plainly changed between them.

"Vala, if you can shorten the story to the main points, we would all appreciate it." General Landry said.

"Fine, though it is a gripping story. They often joined up in deals but if they went sour because of my father's greed or overestimation of his talents, Adria would always cut loose and go off on her own terms. It was the source of most of their fighting, so eventually when they split there was no love lost between them, as I heard my father was incarcerated for a lengthy time by a group of traders whom he had ripped off and sold counterfeit goods to in return and Adria left him behind. So, if they are once again on the same team, something must have gone terribly, terribly wrong for _both _of them to unite them once more."

"Ok, so having heard the backstory of Vala's family, what do you all think about letting Jacek and his lady through the gate?" Landry asked, searching the faces of SG-1.

Sam spoke for the first time in the meeting, "Well, I hesitate to let Jacek on the planet, especially in a civilian capacity, so if we did let him through the Stargate, I would recommend guards and restrictions on his activities here on a permanent basis and that's a lot of manpower."

"I believe that Jacek is an untrustworthy man and one without honour and it would be wise not to allow him to come to Earth. I am sorry, Vala Mal Doran," Teal'c said, nodding to his teammate, "but I do not trust your father."

Vala shrugged off the insult to her father and everyone knew she had a lot worse to call the man.

"I don't want to let him back either, but I will agree with whatever Vala wants to do, as it is her father after all and the remainder of her family," Daniel said softly, knowing his last words had the power to hurt her deeply.

Vala flinched, recalling her daughter and her mind flitted back to her stepmother, after whom she had named Adria the Orici.

"I don't trust him – or her – but neither do I believe that they deserve to die or be captured, or whatever it is that has them so fearful that they would need to make contact with the SGC. So I would say allow them back and I will vouch for them, but I will understand your reasons, should you choose not to allow them through the Stargate, he is after all, only my father."

After Sam smiled at him, General Landry smiled at Vala warmly, "And that, Vala, is why I'll give him a second chance."

"Fourth." SG-1 chorused in reply.


	5. Conflicts Abound

**Author's Note:**

Just a short note to say that this is a shorter chapter, after the couple of longer ones that have preceded it, but I hope it's heart-warming enough in its conciseness. Happy reading and – hopefully – reviewing!

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**Chapter V – Conflicts Abound**

SG-1 in its entirety were standing in a line before the silent Stargate – an unusual occurrence – but for the parents of one of their own, they all wanted to be there to support their friend when she might need them all. Vala had been taciturn and solemn in the day that passed since her father had contacted the SGC, not even allowing Daniel to comfort her, just being in her quarters alone.

Daniel stood beside Vala as they awaited the imminent arrival of Jacek and Adria, sneaking glances at her, constantly checking to see if she was coping with the reunion with her divided family. He had worried for her yesterday, but knew she would have to come to terms on her own so had left her in peace, knowing full well that if she required his help or company, she would seek him out.

As the gate was dialled, Walter's voice said clearly, "General Landry to the gate room, receiving SG-9's IDC, they have Jacek and Adria."

Vala sighed wearily, rubbing her tired eyes and murmured so that only Daniel could hear, "Oh God, here we go again."

Daniel leaned over to whisper in Vala's ear, "Don't worry, sweetheart, it will be all right."

The burst of the wormhole penetrated the gate room and sent a baby blue aura through the room and illuminated the faces of the personnel watching as the gate opened for the six people that stepped through it. The first to step through were Major Dorne and Captain Schweiger, leading Jacek and Adria into Stargate Command, followed by Dr. Kathleen Simmons and Lieutenant Harston. The SG-9 members walked calmly and silently to their fellow team members, but it was not the same for the other two.

"Vala, honey! Good to see you," Jacek rushed forward and enveloped his daughter in a bear hug, "good to see you! I missed you kid."

"Jacek, leave her be, you're squashing the poor dear." Adria's voice was sickly sweet and held no true feeling for her stepdaughter.

"Yes, yes, you're quite right, my dear."

"Good to see you again, Jacek," Vala said blankly, "and you too…Adria."

The entire gate room winced as they heard Vala say her stepmother's name with a small hesitation, including the General, who interrupted the awkward family reunion by ushering off the new arrivals to the planet to Dr. Lam's infirmary to be subjected to the standard physical examinations that all returning or coming off-world personnel had to endure before roaming the SGC freely.

The physicals went quickly. Soon, Landry was sitting at the head of the long table in the briefing room flanked by Jacek and Adria, with Vala seated next to her father.

"So, what's been going around on Earth, huh? Got anyone sweet on you, yet honey? Still playing the field like your old man?" Jacek joked, nudging Vala playfully on her elbow.

Vala sat sullenly, shrugging off her father's pokes at her, as she always had done, but now they seemed to sting that much more, "Jacek, I am _nothing_ like you," Vala spat.

It was her father's turn to flinch, indeed, everyone flinched. It was very rare, if not impossible, to hear Vala speak words with such malice and hatred in their tone. Normally she was a carefree and happy woman, but the loss of her daughter and the affection of Daniel had changed her. She was more serious and though she would never admit it to anyone, the comparison of her with her father wounded her so much because he was such a failure of a parent and although she knew she had let down Adria as her mother, she knew she had tried with her daughter far more than Jacek had done with his.

Vala saw the entire room react to her brutal words to her father and looked shyly at General Landry before slowly rising from her seat, "Would you excuse me, General, I just need some air?"

As Landry nodded slightly in her direction, she quit the room, "Now, where were we?" Landry asked.

Jacek interrupted Sam, who was about to pick up the discussion of Jacek and Adria's arrival, "Wow, she's really different. Maybe she got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, am I right?" he asked, looking at Daniel.

With a short glance at the rest of the SGC personnel, Daniel erupted in Vala's defence, "Jacek, I'm only going to say this to you once, because it is abundantly clear to me that you've really hurt Vala on more than one occasion and I don't want her to be hurt by you again, especially after what she's been put through over the past couple of months bu-"

"Wait a minute! What exactly has _darling _Vala endured recently? She's probably been exaggerating like she normally does to get a sympathy vote…" Adria interrupted.

"Vala Mal Doran has not exaggerated any of the great losses and tragedies she has recently suffered, Adria," Teal'c said, his voice laced with anger, "the death of her daughter and the hardships she survived in the Ori galaxy were extremely taxing for her."

"Wait," Jacek exclaimed, "her…daughter?"

"It's what I was trying to tell you," Daniel said with exasperation, "Vala was impregnated against her will by the Ori when she fell through the Supergate into the Ori galaxy. While there she had to marry a man called Tomin who saved her in order to safeguard herself against the Ori, who would have executed her (again!) for being pregnant out of wedlock. When she discovered that the Ori were building a fleet to attack this galaxy, she put herself in danger to get a message to us and it worked, we were ultimately able to stop the Ori, but Vala gave birth to her daughter on an Ori ship and the child was taken from her as soon as it was born."

Daniel stopped talking, as the others noticed his face scrunched up as the thought of Vala's pain afflicted him so terribly, as the thought of anybody suffering affected Daniel Jackson.

General Landry continued, "Vala's daughter, Adria, grew years in a matter of hours and when Vala next saw her child she was the equivalent of a six year old. Adria was the Orici, a being created by the Ori to be their conduit to this world and convince humans of their power and to worship them as gods."

The General stopped to witness the change in Adria and Jacek's expression as it began to dawn on them precisely what had happened to Vala since Jacek had last made contact with his daughter.

"Please carry on. I want to know what happened. You said Adria – her daughter – died?" Adria "the Original" asked.

Daniel nodded, "Yes, she did. As the Orici, Adria wielded immense powers, including telekinesis and psychic powers to a certain extent, along with the command of the Ori forces, which were great in number, enough to pose a significant threat to this galaxy and everyone in it. She had to be stopped. A couple of weeks ago, a Goa'uld named Ba'al took over Adria's body, weakening her greatly, enabling us to capture and subdue her. She was dying and she managed to divert us for long enough for her to ascend."

"Ascend?"

"It's when a being is sufficiently evolved and guiltless to ascend to a higher plain of being, in other words, they relinquish their human body and evolve into a form of energy. So, in that way, I suppose, Adria is not dead, but to us – to Vala – she died right in front of her." Daniel concluded with a sigh.

The room was silent as Daniel finished his summary of Vala's recent history, with Jacek and Adria looking down at the table in their shame at their blitheness regarding Vala's suffering, until the General spoke with authority, "I think this discussion would benefit from a brief interlude, so shall we reconvene in half an hour?"

As SG-1 rose to leave, each heading to different destinations on the base before they had to return to the briefing room, Jacek reached for Daniel's arm and stopped him before he could evade his question, "So, talking about my little girl like that, defending her like that…you love her don't you?"

Daniel waited for everyone else but Jacek to go out of hearing range before answering with an angry glare, "I do…much more than you ever did."

Daniel then left Jacek in his wake as he stormed out of the room to look for Vala and see if she was all right after being subjected to her father's company for a short time, which was long enough for her to need to be away from him. The archaeologist – and indeed, the rest of SG-1, General Landry and Vala's family – was fully unaware that the woman he was searching for was seated at the bottom of the stairwell and had clearly heard all that had been said in her defence and concerning her life by her friends and by the man who _loved_ her.


	6. Confessions Abound

**Author's Note:**

Thanks to everyone who has so far reviewed and followed this story! In this chapter I used the movies "P.S. I Love You" and "27 Dresses" for Vala's romantic comedy spree. Hope you enjoy the second part of my double chapter update!

* * *

**Chapter VI – Confessions Abound**

Vala did not return to the briefing room, as Walter came to tell her that General Landry had excused her from the rest of the proceedings with Jacek and Adria. She had gone to get some food while the rest of her team were preoccupied so there was no chance she would encounter any of them in the commissary. Since overhearing her friends spring to her defence and Daniel actually tell her father he loves her, she had had a lot to think about.

She took a heap of popcorn from her secret stash – only to be used for team movie night – and dug out the supply of rom-coms to distract her from her current situation. Vala had always been a sucker for the dashing hero who saved the damsel (who did not always have to be in distress) and they lived happily ever after. Nothing in her life had ever given her the stability of a serious relationship like the ones she so wished she could have – until now with Daniel – so retreating into her rom-coms was as close as she could get.

"_Thank you for the honour of being my wife. I'm a man with no regrets. How lucky am I. You made my life, Holly. But I'm just one chapter in yours. There'll be more. I promise. So here it comes, the big one. Don't be afraid to fall in love again. Watch out for that signal, when life as you know it ends. P.S. I will always love you."_

Coming to the end of the first film in her marathon, in tears, Vala heard a familiar knock on her door. Rising from her bed, curlers in hair to answer it, she came face to face with her father and stepmother, both looking extremely contrite.

"Vala, honey, can we come in? We brought you some food, the others said you'd like it," Jacek held out some Cadbury's Fruit & Nut, which Vala snatched away, "we'd really like to have a chat. Dr. Jackson explained what you've been through since we last saw each other and I'm sorry I was glib about it, without understanding what had happened to you. Darling, we're ever so sorry."

Vala nodded, "Sure you are," she said sarcastically, "but come on in. I've had enough of this film anyway."

Adria enveloped her stepdaughter in an emotional embrace, "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter. It must have been so hard for you."

They all sat down on Vala's bed and chatted about nothing for a short time, until finally Jacek and Adria noticed Vala giving off the body signals that she wanted them to leave her in peace to continue watching her movies.

Her father's parting words stayed with Vala as she switched on her DVD player, "Vala, if you don't want us to stay here – on Earth – I understand totally, and we'll go elsewhere, if that's what you really want."

Vala began watching the next film on her roster, one of her favourites, "27 Dresses". She had just gotten to the good part, when there was another interruption.

"_Oh, my God, I feel like I found out my favourite love song was written about a sandwich."_

"What is this? It's like a train station in here tonight…" Vala said exasperatedly reached for the door handle once more.

"Hey you, wanna hang out? Good!" Mitchell's drawl asked as he stepped through the door, followed closely by Teal'c.

"It is good to see you, Vala Mal Doran. We were worried when you were not in the commissary at your appointed hour for your evening meal."

"Watching T.V.? Cool, we'll stay and keep you company." Mitchell said, flopping down on Vala's bed.

Vala appreciated the kind thought of Cam and Teal'c but in truth, she didn't really know them very well and being alone with them was awkward for her and she suspected for them too. It did not take long for them to grow fatigued of the film (rom-com was neither Teal'c nor Mitchell's movie genre of choice) and leave Vala in her own company once more.

"Four down…how many to go?" she wondered.

As Vala watched the bride and groom say their wedding vows, the bride flanked by the brides of the past who had inflicted their awful choices of bridesmaid attire on her, each wearing their respective horrific gowns, her door opened.

"Hi Vala, how are you doing?"

Switching off the film, Vala looked shocked at the unannounced entrance of Sam Carter. Sam almost never visited her in her quarters, especially without knocking first. The last time she had spent social time with Vala alone had been when Jacek had flown off, abandoning Vala and Sam had come bearing a bottle of quality wine.

"Fine…Sam, what are you doing here?"

She smiled kindly, "Oh, I just thought you might need cheering up and a bit of a girly chat, so here I am. I also wanted to talk to you about something that's well," she frowned, "a little awkward."

"I'm intrigued. Very little has the great Samantha Carter tongue-tied. What is it?"

Sitting down, Sam said hesitantly, "Well, Vala, I hope you're okay after that ordeal with your dad and stepmom, but I need to have a talk with you about Daniel."

Vala's eyes widened in shock at Sam knowing that there was anything to be discussed about Daniel, but she remained silent and awaited her friend's words.

"I know there is something going on between you two. I don't know what, but I can see that he cares deeply about you, loves you, even and I have known him for a very long time and as his friend, I care about his feelings and when they're in danger of being hurt, I get concerned." Sam said gravely.

"Well…I…don't…what?" Vala spluttered.

"Vala, I can see the change in Daniel, which started after Adria ascended on the Odyssey and the only thing that seems to have changed is that you two have gotten closer. There is also that Teal'c told me that he saw you two rather snugly ensconced aboard the ship."

Vala's jaw dropped, "Teal'c saw us…in bed together? Sam, we didn't, I mean, nothing happened…in _that_ way!"

Sam chuckled, "Vala, don't worry, I'm sure it didn't, but I just want to make sure we're clear that I want you to be careful here. When Daniel lost Sha're, it tore him in two and then some and he's never been the same since. It's just that – knowing you – I don't want Daniel to get hurt."

"Knowing me?" Vala sobbed, "You think I'm going to hurt him? Sam, I would never hurt him! I love him!"

Sam's eyes grew larger as she realised the depth and seriousness of Vala's affection for her best friend and how misled she had been to accuse Vala of being capable of hurting Daniel's feelings. She approached the other woman and embraced her strongly, rubbing her back until she stopped crying.

"Oh, Vala, I'm sorry, I should never have said anything…and I came here to try and cheer you up to top it all."

"It's fine, Sam, I understand," Vala murmured, wiping the remains of her tears from her cheeks, "I'm glad you're looking out for Daniel, but if you don't mind, I'd rather be left alone tonight."

"Sure, I'll just go."

With that, Sam left Vala, who did not fancy the rest of the films on her list after Sam's visit. She just curled up in the foetal position, pulling her lavender bed covers up tight to her chin and cuddling one of her heart-shaped cushions tried to sleep. She attempted to fall asleep for fifteen minutes and counted up to a hundred sheep, but nothing lulled her. Finally she gave up and just lay there thinking about what Sam had said about the likelihood of her hurting Daniel but the thought hurt her so much, she was relieved when a faint rap on her door insisted she get out of bed.

"This had better be the last of my friends coming to try and cheer me up or I swear I'll cut some loose!" Vala grumbled as she walked to answer the door.

The only face she had wanted to see tonight greeted her with a smile when she opened the door. Vala recalled Daniel's conversation with her father and what he had said, but she did not want to let Daniel know that she had heard every word he had spoken in the briefing room just yet.

"Daniel!" Vala exclaimed.

The most recent arrival to Vala's bedroom did not reply, only moved into her room and enveloped her in his strong, muscly arms and pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss.

"Hello, darling, I heard you've had quite the evening of visitors." Daniel said with a kind smile.

Vala took his hand and led him over to her bed, to sit against the headboard while she placed herself between his legs, "Sam and Teal'c know about us, you know?"

Daniel started playing with her hair, "I know Sam does, but Tealc?"

"He walked in on us on the Odyssey."

Daniel laughed at his friend's good judgement at not revealing the change in his and Vala's relationship to anybody. Teal'c could always be relied upon not to stir gossip and it was a good thing too…

"I'm sorry about everything your father and stepmother said, Vala. Are you all right now?" Daniel did not wait for her to answer, "I've been worried about you."

Vala smiled slightly at the thought of someone who actually loved her, worrying for her, "No need, Daniel, I'm much better than I was, despite everyone's attempts to cheer me up."

Daniel pulled Vala up to curl her around his chest, so he could hold her to him in his arms and so she might eventually fall asleep with ease, "Yeah, Sam came and told me you might appreciate me coming to keep you company," Daniel pulled her chin up so he could look deep into her grey eyes, "especially since you know that I love you."

"Well, when I heard you say that, I-" Vala cut her sentence short, comprehending what she had just revealed to Daniel: that she had been in hearing distance of his conversation with Jacek and had heard his profession of love.

"I knew you heard that!" Daniel shouted.

Vala looked like she could have quite easily ended Daniel's life then and there, "You tricked me? That's not fair, Daniel! Anyway, what I was going to say was, when I heard you say that, I realised that," Vala took a deep breath, "that I love you too."

Daniel could not speak a syllable; he was so stunned by her admission. He had wanted to hear those words fall from her gorgeous lips from the moment he had found the barrette on the stairs near the briefing room, telling him that she had been there when he was talking to Jacek. Once Sam had visited him in his study to tell him that Vala could use his company, he suspected that Vala had revealed something more of her feelings for him to Sam, but the woman he loved herself had just confirmed his beliefs.

Vala pulled Daniel's head down so that she could let her lips do the talking for her. Daniel's hands pulled at her hair, pulling her closer as if she was not close enough, though there was no space between them. Eventually, when they both separated, both breathless, Vala settled comfortably using Daniel's chest as a pillow and the warmth that exuded from him as a duvet and yawned loudly.

Daniel chuckled, "Is kissing me boring, darling? My ego is definitely not going to get a stoking from you, is it?"

Vala playfully poked Daniel in the ribs, resulting in a piercing grunt, "Kissing you is anything but boring, Daniel," Vala said seriously, "it's the best thing…ever."

Daniel tightened his arms around the beautiful woman whom he couldn't believe just told him she loved him and whispered in her ear, "I'll stay here tonight, sweetheart, you might sleep better and for the record," Vala looked up, curious, "I knew before that you heard what I said, but I wanted you to hear what I had to say."

With a light kiss on her hair and Daniel's handsome body enveloping her protectively, Vala simply fell asleep like it was the easiest thing in the world.


	7. Not So Pleasant Dreams

**Chapter VII – Not So Pleasant Dreams**

Although Vala fell asleep like a baby guarded by Daniel's arms, once she was asleep, matters were not so pleasant. Night terrors were common enough for her, what with being a former host to a Goa'uld such as Qetesh and then being the vessel of the Orici, but more often than not, she was the victim of the drama that played out in her dreamscape, but on this occasion, that was not the case and it scared her all the more for being so different from what she usually experienced while asleep.

"_Adria! Adria, please, please stop it! You're killing him! Adria!" Vala screamed._

_Daniel was in the centre of the room, pooled in a circle of blood, which dripped from his nose and head. His legs were bent at crude and nauseating angles, obviously broken or worse – shattered – at multiple sites. He was encased by a yellow force field, preventing Vala from reaching him. The rest of SG-1's bodies were strewn about the floor, all dead, so only Vala remained to witness Daniel's demise at the hand of her daughter._

"_Mother, you have the power to stop me. If you had killed me when you had the opportunity, your precious Dr. Jackson would not be suffering for your mistakes." Adria said with an evil smile._

"_Adria, I will do whatever you want, just please stop what you're doing and leave him be!" Vala sobbed desperately._

_The Orici's smile widened with glee, "Now, that's better, mother. You will embrace Origin?" _

_Vala nodded briskly._

"_Very well, then," With a flick of her hand, Adria removed the force field from around Daniel, "he is free to die!"_

_Adria's eyes squinted as Daniel's entire body convulsed in pain as Adria's will tore his muscles and ligaments apart. Vala thought it would have been more merciful just to end his misery and suffering but Daniel's inhumanly high pain threshold made his trials all the more unbearable for both himself and Vala._

_With a final shriek, Daniel's heart stopped beating and his body ceased its fitting and at long last, his agony was over. _

"_DANIEL!" Vala screeched._

"Vala! Vala, love," Daniel said worryingly, "sweetheart, wake up!"

Vala sat bolt upright and her eyes pricked open like a cornered animal running from a predator. She was vaguely aware of Daniel serenely brushing her matted hair away from her face, drenched in cold sweat from the fright of the incredibly potent nightmare and the shock of how much pain she had observed Daniel endure.

"Daniel?" she said in a petrified voice.

Daniel pulled her into his arms, "Yes, yes, it's all right, now, I'm here. You're safe."

He was stunned by how she was shivering and how she was probably so frightened by the nightmare that she couldn't even cry. He knew she had experienced extreme nightmares but this was something else, the fear in her was debilitating and that scared him, the fact that she could be so overwhelmed by what she saw in her sleep that it rendered her so weak.

"Tell me about it, darling, tell me what you saw. Then, I can help." Daniel said soothingly.

"It, it was Adria. She had killed everyone: Sam, Teal'c, Mitchell, but she had you in some kind of force field and you were pretty beat up," Vala rubbed Daniel's sides, reassuring herself that he was healthy and safe, "I begged her to stop hurting you, but she wouldn't listen and you," Vala sobbed, "you were in so much pain, Daniel. She made me agree to accept Origin and then she, she killed you and I couldn't save you. I'm sorry, Daniel."

Vala was now in full floods of tears, making Daniel's shirt damp with her salty tears, but he would rather she ruin his shirt than him not be there at all to offer her his shoulder to cry on when she needed him.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm all right; I'm safe with you, here at the SGC. Adria is not here to hurt anybody." Daniel said wiping the tears from her lovely face.

It took Vala a good while to stem her tears and compose herself enough to speak coherently with the man in her bed doing all he could to comfort and relieve her. Usually, Vala visited the commissary to get food to soothe her and help her recover from her night terrors but with Daniel beside her, strengthening her with only his presence, she felt no need to go for one of her standard walkabouts around Stargate Command to take her mind off the thoughts that plagued her sleep.

"I'm glad you're here, Daniel. It makes me feel better and I don't even feel the urge to eat." Vala said, almost sprightly.

Daniel faked a reaction of astonishment, "No! You? Vala Mal Doran not having the urge to eat? Wait here," he moved to get up, "I'm going to have to fetch Dr. Lam!"

Vala laughed, making Daniel go weak at the knees and fall back into her bed. Vala's laugh got louder as she grabbed Daniel by the arms and turned him round to face her, "What is the matter with you?"

Daniel reached up to push a stray hair from Vala's face, "Your laugh is one of the most beautiful sounds in two galaxies and it makes me love you so much more when I hear it."

Vala could do nothing but stare back into Daniel's loving face as she understood how sincerely he had complimented her musical laugh. She then pressed her body down on his and kissed him passionately. Her lips pulled at his and his gave into hers without hesitation or question. There was nothing more he wanted than Vala and him to be fully together but as her arms and his moved of their own accord, pulling the other closer toward them. It was apparent where this was heading, but before he knew what he was doing, Daniel pushed Vala off him and turned on his side so he could still look her in the face.

"Daniel?" Vala asked unsurely, "What's the matter?"

Daniel clung to her soft hands, "Vala, nothing is the matter. I just don't want to rush this. I want to do us properly, so we had to stop."

"Sex makes me feel better after nightmares, Daniel. I want to feel better…with you."

Daniel kissed her tenderly, "I want that too, but I do not want our first time to be a reaction to you having a nightmare and trying your hardest to forget about that instead of just focusing on us and how we're meant to be together."

Vala smiled, "I love how romantic you are," Vala's smile disappeared, "but what if the nightmares come back?"

Daniel pulled her against him, "I'll fight your demons for you Vala, just try and go back to sleep, we've got a long day tomorrow. After the recon mission, I think we'll go out for dinner."

"Now that's something I can dream about!"


	8. It's a Date

**Chapter VIII – It's a Date**

"I think that's the first time a mission has gone without a single hitch…in the history of SG-1 missions!" Mitchell exclaimed coming out of the briefing room.

Sam laughed, "You know what, Cam, you are probably right!"

Daniel and Vala followed behind their three other teammates, so when Daniel took Vala's hand in his own, none of the others were any the wiser, "I'll give you…" Daniel looked at his watch, "an hour to get ready and then we'll get out of here, okay?"

Vala smiled and nodded enthusiastically. She then let go of Daniel's hand and ran past SG-1 to her bedroom to get ready for her and Daniel's date.

Sam looked back at Daniel, "Well, someone's in a good mood tonight. Going anywhere later?"

"I'm taking her out for dinner as the last time didn't end so well." Daniel said cringing at the memory of Vala being kidnapped by Athena and losing all recollection of SG-1 or her life at Stargate Command.

The rest of SG-1 looked positively stunned to learn that Daniel actually had a romantic side that was willing to come out for Vala.

Mitchell was the first to speak up, "So, Jackson, where are you taking your lady on your _first_ date? Sol's Diner?"

"No!" Daniel had been to the diner that had been Vala's home while she was suffering from the amnesia caused by Athena's meddling with her mind, but he scoffed at the thought of taking her back there for what was intended to be a romantic dinner, "we're going to Bella Vannozza."

The human members of the team's surprise increased with the knowledge of where Daniel was taking Vala for their date. Bella Vannozza was one of the most expensive – if not the most expensive – restaurants in the state of Colorado. The food there was great but incredibly overpriced and you could spend upwards of $100 on a bottle of wine and considering Daniel's sudden romantic streak, he probably would. It was apparent to all present that this new relationship was something serious and special.

"Yeah, so I'll be seeing you guys later," Daniel smiled cheekily as he entered his living quarters, "or maybe I won't."

An hour later, Daniel was standing outside Vala's bedroom, nervously pacing the hallway much to the amusement of any who happened to walk past the situation, as everyone at the SGC could see the close bond the archaeologist and the newest member of SG-1 shared. Daniel wished he was the sort of guy – like Mitchell or John Sheppard – who could pluck up the courage to suavely waltz into his date's room and whisk her off on a romantic evening, but he knew that those two colonels happened to be known as "Kirks" and that was not how he wanted Vala to perceive him at all. This evening meant so much more than just a normal _first _date did because they had been through so much together and their mutual feelings were undeniably strong.

The door opened, "Oh, Daniel," Vala exclaimed in surprise to find Daniel already outside, "right on time! Shall we go?"

Now that Daniel was face-to-face with the woman of his dreams, her beauty struck him like lightning from the sky. She was wearing a halter neck, knee-length satin black dress which hugged her figure divinely and her hair, instead of being pulled into her regular pigtails, was held in place in a sophisticated French twist, accentuating her delicious cheekbones and radiant smile. Daniel's eyes were captivated by the silver necklace that plunged down to her neckline.

"Hello?" Vala asked as she witnessed Daniel's eyes plummet, "Daniel? Do you need anatomy lessons to know my eyes are not down there?"

Daniel heard her voice and his thoughts returned to the present, "Sorry!" Daniel said as he blushed, "Let's go! Excited for our first date?"

"_First_?! Good one, Daniel. Anyway, I'm very excited for our _second _date." Vala replied hooking her arm through Daniel's extended one.

Daniel sighed heavily, knowing Vala well enough to know that she would not drop the idea that their prior attempt at a meal off-base was a date. So he decided the car journey over to Bella Vannozza or the evening would not contain another reference to exactly which number date it was, only that it was an important date.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Daniel rested his arm round Vala's waist as they were guided to their table. Then, to Vala's surprise, Daniel sent the waiter away and pulled the chair out for her himself, playing to her ultimate knight in shining armour fantasies.

"Thank you," Vala said, taking her seat and picking up the extensive menu.

Daniel smiled at her ladylike air, "Choose anything you want to eat or drink, sweetheart."

Vala's eyes lit up at Daniel's offer, "Wow, honey, you really do know me!"

"Vala, I don't think that I've ever seen you eat less than three dishes at a time. I know you have a fast metabolism, but you eat even when you're not necessarily hungry, so I was just wondering why?"

Vala's smiled diminished slightly, "Well, Daniel, after the Tok'ra extracted Qetesh and killed her, I was alone in the world and had no friends or family to fall back on," Vala sighed with the pain of old memories, "so when I was taken captive by four bounty hunters, who were under the impression that I was still Qetesh and were supposed to escort me to Amaterasu, I was starved for over a week. Complications arose and I busted out of there, in much the same style as I tried to take the Prometheus and since then, I've never been able to understand wasting food or not eating it when you can."

Daniel could only stare across the table at her in silence. He knew she had endured some pretty awful trials to get to where she was today, but he never expected her over-consumption of food would be so poignant to her life.

"Oh, darling, I'm sorry. I wish I'd never asked." Daniel apologised.

"Daniel, it's fine. I want to get to know you better and I would like you to know me better, so anything you want to ask me is utterly fine."

Daniel's raised his eyebrow at her proposition, "Vala, you should never say that to a man on a date…you never know what he might ask."

Vala held Daniel's eyes for a while, stunned by his risqué statement. Neither said a word, until they both erupted in fits of laughter.

"Sir, madam, would you be ready to order?" a waiter asked, interrupting their hysterics.

Daniel composed himself enough to reply, "Yeah, sure. I'll have the veal parmeggiana with green beans, please, and a bottle of the Gavi di Gavi."

"And for you, madam?"

"Well, I'll have bruschetta and calamari to start, please, then, fettuccine alfredo with sides of new potatoes and mixed salad." Vala spoke with a smile, then handed her menu over to the waiter, who was astounded by the volume of food she had requested.

Finally taking pity on the young waiter, Daniel whispered, "I know, and this is her being moderate!"

The waiter smiled and after reading back the couple's extravagant order, departed and left them in peace.

Vala and Daniel surprised themselves at how easily they conversed over their meal. Daniel had always shared a certain close bond with Vala, but never had they ever really gotten through a conversation without the topic wandering dangerously close to Vala's heightened libido and a couple of jokes at Daniel's expense. So, when the two fell into a comfortable rhythm and humour debating ethics and the military's attitude towards the Stargate programme among other subjects that normally Daniel would have placed outside Vala's conversational ability, Daniel was highly impressed.

Vala in turn was under the growing impression that Daniel and she could work out as a couple, who not only suited each other on a romantic level, but also on an intellectual too. She knew that Daniel relished the challenge of a good academic debate and a serious outlook on certain topics was crucial to Daniel regarding her as his equal. All of Vala's past lovers had viewed her as nothing more than a piece of ass whom they could parade around on their often rich but unattractive arms – until she stole whatever she was after – and then use her for sex with no strings attached.

"You know, I love watching you eat, Vala," Daniel sighed, taking her hand in his.

Vala's eyes pricked open in surprise, "Why, my Daniel, how very romantic…and strange of you to say so."

They chuckled together, their respective laughs moulding together in the sweetest of harmonies.

As the evening drew to a close, Daniel drove back to Stargate Command, feeling very in love with Vala and wishing that their night off-base did not have to end. Vala sat in Daniel's car and looked over at him and knew in her heart of hearts that this evening was going to end well for the both of them.

Daniel walked Vala through the grey halls of the SGC right up to the door of her bedroom where she unexpectedly leaned up, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to meet hers in a passionate kiss. Daniel spent what seemed like an eternity kissing the woman he loved, until she moved to deepen the kiss and her arms shifted to his hips. He quickly realised what Vala was aiming at for the end of their heavenly evening getting to know each other, but he knew that were he to allow Vala to seduce him into her bed (which he would eventually love) she would believe his first goal with her was a physical relationship, when he believed they had the potential to be so much more to each other.

As gently as he possibly could, Daniel retreated from the kiss and held her face between his strong hands and looked deeply into her uncomprehending eyes.

"Daniel?"

Daniel drew his thumb over her lips, silencing her, "Sweetheart, we are not going to rush this any more than we already have," Daniel pressed his lips to hers in a tender farewell kiss and walked away, "and no girl who's _so_ worth the wait should give everything up on the _first _date!"


	9. Friendly Concern

**Author's Note:**

Thank you to people who have reviewed. Please do continue to read and review, it is so important to me and my writing. This is a brief chapter, but an important one to the development of the plot. It's also a bit mushy, so I hope you'll forgive that.

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**Chapter IX – Friendly Concern**

Vala sat twiddling her thumbs, trying with all her might to evade the gaze of the two Lieutenant-Colonels sitting before her. The briefing was draining her resolve to have anything to do with her family – the topic of General Landry's emergency conference. Daniel sat beside her, holding her other hand, attempting to give her all the moral support he could, but even with his encouragement and help, she could not shake the bad feeling she had concerning her family's extended stay on Earth.

"Look, Mitchell, I do not think their information about this Goa'uld is trustworthy. Last time, Jacek used you, used us, to get here to do one of his stupid deals! The information might be _just_ right but it should not mean we have to give him and his awful wife sanctuary here!" Vala exclaimed.

"We are not denying the fact that he is not a reliable informant or ally, but Vala, we have to at least investigate whether his claims check out." Sam responded with equal conviction.

"Fine, but even if we agree to a deal where he gives us the location in return for him becoming a permanent fixture here, we should get all the juice that we can out of him then double cross the lying bastard and send him back to the hellhole with his witch of a bride."

Daniel chuckled, recognising Vala's signature con-woman streak, "I have to agree with Vala, after all, she is the expert on all things kinky and criminal."

Vala winked back at him and squeezed his hand underneath the table.

The other people in the room exchanged confused glances, reacting to Daniel's choice of words. It was out of character for him to use such sexually charged vocabulary, so possibly the continued company of the one person on SG-1 who adored using such innuendo and flirtatious language was rubbing off on the man.

Mitchell cleared his throat, "Anyway, Vala's worrying expertise aside, I think we ought to get Jacek to come along for the ride, just so he has some incentive to do the right thing. If his own butt is on the line, we can be rest assured he'll do all he can to save his precious ass."

"Jacek will definitely do that. He values his own life above all else." Vala sighed.

Daniel subconsciously laid his arm around Vala's shoulders and gave her a firm squeeze.

Vala and the rest of the room's occupants were mildly surprised that Daniel would embrace her in such a way, especially in a professional engagement and in front of their superior officers. Vala, however, could do naught but smile at his show of intimacy.

"Anyway," Landry said, frowning at the lovebirds, "I think that the best course of action for us would be to take Jacek and potentially Adria to wherever it is they claim this rogue Goa'uld is hiding out. You can dial out at 1400 hours tomorrow."

As SG-1 got to their feet and Cameron hauled Teal'c off to the gym for a sparring session and Sam went back to her lab for a meeting she was not looking forward to with Bill Lee, General Landry motioned for Daniel and Vala to remain behind with a stern look in his eye.

"Daniel, Vala, please step into my office."

Once the door was closed behind the three in the General's stuffy office, they all took seats and Daniel asked, "General, what's this about?"

General Landry knitted his fingers in a way that meant nothing good and said gruffly, "Ok, you two, you need to level with me here and tell me what the deal is."

"Well, General, we have decided to start seeing each other," Daniel replied, "but with all due respect, I don't see what that has to do with being summoned in here."

"Dr. Jackson, please understand that I am inquiring in a purely professional capacity. It is none of my business whatever you do in your private life or own time, but it definitely is my business when your personal lives have the potential to affect your professional lives. This is the reason relationships are forbidden between officers in the military because the reality is that when you care about someone more than the rest of your team, your judgement is compromised."

"I see and believe me, I know about the military's opinion on intra-team relationships, but Vala and I are civilians and though I respect your concern for the team's wellbeing, I want you to understand that both Vala and I intend to make every effort not to let our personal feelings affect the team dynamic." Daniel said passionately.

"General Landry, our assurance that we shall not intentionally affect the rest of our team should be sufficient for the moment. If it at any point regrettably does, we both, I'm sure," Vala looked to Daniel for confirmation, which he freely gave, "we would both accept any disciplinary action you might choose to take."

The General nodded, "Agreed. I will hold you to that," he smiled, "but otherwise, congratulations you two."


	10. What Hurts the Most

**Author's Note:**

This and the previous chapter are short ones, hence the double chapter update, hope you enjoy it though, it was so much fun to right a bit of action in what is going to overall be a character piece.

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**Chapter X – What Hurts the Most**

"Teal'c, dial the gate!" Cam cried out to the free Jaffa already hurrying towards the DHD while the still enslaved Jaffa of Laverna pinned them down under fire.

The air was punctuated with the harsh din of gunfire and the returning fire of the Jaffa's staff weapons. While both sides fired upon each other, the yells of SG-1 were crying out to their stranded team member who was on the other side of the line of trees behind the Jaffa lines and taking the majority of their fire, but remarkably holding her own.

"Vala! Stay put, we'll try and draw their fire!" Sam shouted down her radio.

"Sam, we've got to get her out of there!" Daniel yelled.

"Jackson, get Jacek to the DHD so we can push him through the minute Teal'c dials home." Mitchell ordered.

Daniel shoved Jacek violently towards the Stargate once the luminescent bluish glow of the event horizon announced the open wormhole, entering his IDC on the keypad as they ran.

"But, Vala-" Jacek started to protest before Daniel unceremoniously threw him into the outgoing wormhole.

"I'm going back for her."

Daniel rushed back and took up fire alongside them, trying to distract the Jaffa battalion who were still blocking them from Vala with their intensive fire. Teal'c had also joined the fight again and was kneeling behind Mitchell and Sam offering covering fire. Daniel could see Vala being overwhelmed by those who descended upon her, getting ever closer to her actual location.

Vala knew that her time was running out and she had to get back to her team. She could just make out the open Stargate and knew that she had to make it to her comrades quickly…before her ammo ran out, which was in about 50 shots time.

Flicking her radio on, Vala spoke firmly into it, "Daniel, get to the gate one at a time. I'm going to make a run for it while they see you all trying to make a run for it."

As Carter and Teal'c ran to the gate and crossed the event horizon, Vala stepped out from her cover and rushed to Daniel and Mitchell's location, where they would wait for her before sending themselves home via Stargate post.

"Mitchell, we haven't got long before we are completely overrun here as well!" Daniel shouted.

Cam nodded curtly, "I know, Val-"Mitchell stopped speaking, the second a scream resounded through the air.

Daniel whipped his head round just in time to see Vala plummet to the ground with blood flowing freely from a blast wound at her stomach. The next second, he could feel Cameron tugging him by the collar in the opposite direction to the woman he loved.

"Mitchell, what in God's name are you doing?" Daniel screamed, "I need to go get her!"

Mitchell pulled Daniel to face him, "Daniel, she's surrounded by Jaffa and there are _two_ of us and furthermore she's critically wounded. She probably wouldn't make it even if we could get her and then get back to the Stargate."

Daniel's face was one of sheer horror and disbelief at the words that fell from his commanding officer's mouth, telling him he could not retrieve the woman of his dreams, "Mitchell, you're a jackass and nothing you order me to do will stop me from getting her and then getting the hell out of here!"

Daniel kicked Cameron into the event horizon before raising his P90 and crushing the trigger and firing blind at the Jaffa who made the mistake of coming between him and the woman who needed him to save her. In minutes, he had reached an unconscious and deathly pale Vala saturated with her own blood with a trail of dead Jaffa warriors in his wake. Pulling her into his strong arms, he lifted her and knowing she was safer with him holding her, leapt into the event horizon headed for the SGC, where if Mitchell knew what was good for him, Dr. Lam would be awaiting their arrival in the gate room to treat Vala.


	11. Bedside Manner

**Chapter XI – Bedside Manner**

"I need some help here, please!" Daniel screeched as he re-emerged from the wormhole still clutching Vala to his chest.

Dr. Lam hurried to the Stargate with a gurney and when Daniel laid Vala down, Dr. Lam saw the extensive bleeding from her injury and as her medical team wheeled Vala down the hall to the infirmary where a surgical team was on hand to try and repair the injured woman's body.

Following the gurney closely and unrelentingly was Dr. Daniel Jackson, whose shirt was now steeped in red blood, but he could not have cared less about himself at that moment when he did not know if Vala would live to open her grey eyes and see his face again. He was still reeling from Mitchell's suggestion of leaving her behind, despite their 'no man gets left behind' team policy. He was glad he disobeyed his commanding officer if it meant that Vala at least got the opportunity to make it out of this fix alive.

In the corridor before the infirmary, Vala went into cardiac arrest as her heart gave out under the pressure. It took Carolyn three attempts with the portable defibrillator to restart Vala's heart. Daniel was sure that he had never felt so helpless or anxious in his entire life as he had while watching Dr. Lam urge her team to work to pull Vala back from the brink of death.

Daniel waited outside for the surgery to conclude in the observation room where he could witness every move made to save Vala's life. When Carolyn finally nodded up to him signalling that her work was done, he bolted from the room and went down to the theatre where he would not be parted from Vala until she, in her sarcastic, but beautiful voice, bade him leave her.

Carolyn willingly granted him access to Vala's berth in the infirmary and offered him one of the spare beds for as long as he wanted to stay and practice his bedside manner. Vala still looked weak and like she would spend a long time on the road to recovery, but Daniel kept whispering to himself that she was breathing and alive, so no matter how long her recovery period was, he would be getting her back as her normal self at the end of the road.

Meanwhile, two incredibly troubled United States Air Force officers were standing in the observation room watching as Daniel stroked his lover's hand and willed her to wake up and speak to him. Mitchell and Landry had monitored Vala's condition from afar, receiving constant updates on her situation as Mitchell debriefed the General on what happened off-world.

Hank Landry, during the conversation with Mitchell, entered a state of being that he very rarely achieved. He was livid with the young couple who had disobeyed the Lieutenant-Colonel's orders and completely disregarded the words they had said to him only the day before. Vala was not so much to blame, Landry saw that, but her effect on the good doctor was in part her doing and their relationship had now irrevocably altered the team dynamics of SG-1. All he could be grateful for at such a time was that neither of the offenders were members of the Air Force, if they had been, a court martial would have been in their futures, but as civilians, other options were open to the General to consider.

As he stood beside Mitchell watching, the General decided to play for time where the decision on what to do was concerned, "I think the punishment for Dr. Jackson's actions can be put off for the time being," Mitchell observed him intently, "as Vala won't be back on active duty for a few weeks. We can afford to wait until she's back on her feet."

"Yes sir, and here's hoping that over those weeks, things will calm down between both of them. I get why Jackson went against my orders, hell, I can't even begin to understand why I even gave them in the first place, but he put himself and the rest of us in danger to try and get to her." Mitchell said, regret and guilt emanating from his every word.

A few hours later, General Landry sat in his office reading his daughter's assessment of Vala's medical condition and how much time she recommended the woman be taken off active duty. Sam Carter was researching the Goa'uld, Laverna, whom SG-1 had travelled off-world to investigate. Teal'c meditated deep in a state of kel'no'reem, hoping for the swift recovery of his teammate. Mitchell boxed with a contingent of marines in the gym, endeavouring to comprehend why he had dismissed his teammate, almost to death. Daniel Jackson was still at the bedside of Vala, clasping her hands in his, being reassured by the faint throb of her pulse under his flesh.

Suddenly, a faint grunt sprung from Vala's throat and Daniel shot to his feet to fetch Dr. Lam. When he returned with the medical officer, she went to examine her patient, "Dr. Jackson, could you please step outside for a time?"

Daniel looked aghast at her request, "Carolyn, I'm not going anywhere."

Carolyn raised an eyebrow at the archaeologist's audacity at refusing to abide by her orders as well as Mitchell's, "Dr. Jackson, I have to examine her so I really must insist that you not be present while I do."

"She wouldn't mind, but I'm not leaving her again," Daniel smiled wearily, "just examine away."

Carolyn frowned but continued with her work as Daniel held Vala's hand as she regained consciousness. She noted that Vala's injury was still serious but provided that she got sufficient rest and underwent no other incidents, she would heal nicely. Once her physical examination was complete, she left the couple in peace to go and update the General of Vala's condition.

"Daniel?" Vala asked hoarsely.

Daniel chuckled lightly at hearing his name fall from her pale pink lips, "Yeah, honey, I'm right here. You feeling okay?"

Vala nodded, "Hmm. What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

Vala's face scrunched up in pain as she tried to sit up in her bed, "I remember running towards you then being shot by the Jaffa and falling."

Daniel stroked her cheek soothingly as her eyes filled up with salty tears, "Hush, love, you're safe now. You fell but I got you back but if you ever scare me like that again, I'll never forgive you, love."

Vala revelled at the sound of being called 'love' by her Daniel, but knowing just how close to death she had come terrified the life out of her. She was glad she got the chance to see Daniel again and wake up to see his gorgeous blue eyes.

"Sweetheart, I'm exhausted. I can feel myself falling asleep. Can we pick up this chat after I've slept awhile?" Vala asked faintly.

Daniel knew that to this woman, two crucial things in life were eating and sleeping, so laughing, he said, "Of course we can, darling. Go to sleep and I'll see you when you wake up; I'll be right here."

Once Daniel let go of her hand, it took no time at all for her to fall into a deep, needed sleep, so he crept into the adjoining berth and took some much needed rest while the woman he adored did the same.

Daniel dreamt of being with Vala in his apartment and just enjoying dinner with her and watching some rubbish on television while they snuggled and kissed on his sofa. Vala was plagued by other dreams, dreams of a less pleasant nature. She relived being shot by their Jaffa enemy over and over in her mind's eye. Each time she experienced her memories, the vision restarted as the Jaffa in front of her fired his staff weapon and she saw it in slow motion coming towards her to end her life.

When she woke up later, she was drenched in a flood of cold sweat but looking to her right, she saw something that made her heart soar far above the hospital bed which held her. Curled up and snoring cutely was a certain member of SG-1 facing towards her bed, deep in the haven of sleep. His face was plastered with an inane grin, the one he wore when he figured out a new alien language, the smile he wore at the most joyful times in his life. Vala had never really had much of a past at waking up happy, but it elated her to know that the man she loved could have such pleasant dreams.

"Daniel," Vala said as loudly as she could, "wake up, Daniel."

At the sound of her sweet voice, Daniel emerged from his own slumber and with a content smile, waddled sleepily over to her bed and – not caring a jot for morning breath – kissed her full on the lips, delighting in the taste of her vitality and love, which he would now have for years to come.

Once the couple had kissed each other to the extent that neither could breathe like normal humans, Daniel looked gravely into Vala's eyes as he perched on the edge of her bed and said, "Vala, I can't put into words how glad I am that you're going to be okay. I did think at one point – actually at many points – earlier that I was going to lose you. That can't ever happen again…_ever_!"

Vala saw all the fear and sorrow that Daniel had endured over the past day on her behalf and her heart bled for the man. She remembered that he lost Sha're before and according to all accounts, her death nearly destroyed him, so she was not surprised that in the face of another similar loss, his mind and heart had gone into overdrive.

She smiled calmly, "Daniel, I'm sure it won't. Everyone knows I'm very rarely the person that gets hurt on missions."

Gripping her hand strongly, Daniel said, "Vala, I had to go and get you. Don't get me wrong, it was an honour to save your ass, but I don't want to have to do it again because it makes me worry and it's dangerous. It was very cute and incredibly you to try and get back to us with your awful plan, but please don't do stuff like that."

Vala scoffed at Daniel's description of her plan, "Cute? Incredibly me? Gee, thanks, honey. If my plan was so juvenile, why on earth would you come and rescue my sorry, 'cute' ass?"

Daniel, ever mindful of her stomach wound, pulled her gently to him in a hug, "I pulled your sorry, _stunning _ass out of that hellhole because I love you and that's what love demands you do for the one you love with all your heart."

Tears were now cascading down Vala's cheeks as she heard what the love of her life was saying to her, "You actually love me? I love you too, Daniel, _so much_."

Daniel, in a stroke of sheer passion, crashed his lips onto hers and held her as tightly as he possibly could (all things considered), celebrating their newly confessed feelings for each other…even if they did occur after one of them narrowly escaped death.


	12. The Problems of Love

**Author's Note:**

I love writing dialogue for Teal'c! As much as Daniel said when Jack restricts his beer intake, it makes me feel so deep, like Teal'c. Hope you enjoy this chapter, enough to review!

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**Chapter XII – The Problems of Love**

Vala sat in her quarters, attached to a cumbersome IV and wishing with all her soul and being that she could be mobile again and not dependant on several pieces of medical apparatus. She was being bored to tears with nothing to do and the rest of SG-1 were irritating her to insanity with their persistent visits to cheer her up.

Her mind wandered back to Cameron's visit, which was definitely one of the more riveting she experienced. The man had almost broken down before her – or as close as she had ever seen him – as he confessed what he had suggested to Daniel when he saw her hit by the staff blast. He apologised so profusely for thinking that she should be left behind that Vala instantly forgave her commanding officer. She could imagine Mitchell's concern for his team and how it might motivate him to make such an uncharacteristic choice.

Vala thought about Daniel and remembering his words to her as she languished in the infirmary made her heart almost literally soar. Never had someone who knew her so completely, so intimately, professed any kind of real, sincere love for her. Normally, she was an object and nothing more, but when she was with Daniel, it was like she was free to live her own life on her own terms, in her own world with him. The feeling was as out of this world as she was.

While pondering her situation with Daniel, under the sinking weight of the depression of her boredom, Vala's thoughts travelled to his explanation for traversing a space overrun with Jaffa to retrieve her unconscious body. He told her that his love for her made him do the reckless and that concept beset her consistently. The knowledge that her carelessness had endangered the invaluable life of the man she loved made her eyes water with the tears of her guilt. Then again, Vala who was also a hopeless romantic and sucker for the Shakespearian romantic tragedies she had been introduced to by Walter Harriman, also found herself conflicted with the idea that had Daniel been killed attempting to reach her, their deaths would have had a timeless poetry to them. Vala shook her head, with her long locks of ebony hair billowing around her face, disappointed that she would even consider sacrificing the future that lay in store for them just to fulfil some idealistic notion she had of dying alongside her lover.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a strong rap on her door and with a long sigh, Vala murmured, "Come in."

"Thank you, Vala Mal Doran. It is good to see your health being restored. I have come from the commissary, where they were serving Salisbury steak and knowing of your fondness for excess nourishment, I have brought a tray for you." The Jaffa stated with all the authority of an older brother figure looking after an ailing younger sibling.

"Ooh, Muscles, you read my mind," Vala smiled joyfully, holding her arms out for the blue tray, "give me!"

"Indeed." Teal'c said with the signature raise of his eyebrow and inclination of his head as he handed over the tray laden with tasty treats.

As Vala began to cleave her way through the meal, Teal'c remained stalwart at the side of her bed and watched so he could report the return of her former appetite back to the other members of SG-1, all of whom were still concerned for their newest friend.

"So, here's the thing, Daniel had to rescue me from the scary soldiers back there and in a very Daniel kind of way, told me that he did it because he loves me. Now, here's the question: if Ishta had gotten herself into the same fix that I did…" Vala squinted pointedly at her friend, "would you have zoomed to her rescue?"

Teal'c stared pensively past Vala's head for a second, "An interesting question, Vala Mal Doran. I believe that Ishta would not have acted as you did when you acted in haste to reach us, thus she would not have been in mortal danger – as you were – moreover, if she were to place herself in such peril through an action of her own that was a gross misjudgement, then I believe, she would urge me not to risk my own life to save her."

Vala returned the honest gaze of her friend whilst she deliberated on his words. Those who didn't know Teal'c as well as his teammates did often mistook the Jaffa's harsh statements as alien and inhuman, but really, he just always spoke his mind and stayed true to himself. So when he told Vala that he reckoned Ishta would have been wiser in her decisions than Vala, it sparked another inquiry in the human woman's mind.

"If she would have wanted you to leave her behind, would you actually do it?"

Teal'c immediately smiled warmly, "No, Vala Mal Doran, I certainly would not."

"I thought so."

The relationship between the two Jaffa leaders had blossomed and flourished over the years, despite their long and agonising separations. Whenever SG-1 had time off, the entire base knew that Teal'c went to whatever planet Ishta sent word that she was on and when he returned after their all too brief time together, his blissful mood was nigh on infectious to all the SGC personnel. Ever since the pair had met on Hak'tyl, the bond between them had done nothing but grow, even to the extent that living without each other's constant presence seemed to faze neither.

With a tilt of her head, Vala asked, "Hey, Muscles, how exactly do you stand to be apart from Ishta for the lengths of time that you are? I mean, Daniel and I haven't been in love for nearly as long as the two of you yet we can't stand to be apart for the shortest of times."

"The bond between Ishta and myself runs so deep that the long separations necessary for our bodies do not affect the closeness of our spirits."

Vala touched the Jaffa on the cheek, deeply moved by the absolute depth of his emotions for the woman he loves. She wondered if one day Daniel and her would feel so connected on the same spiritual and emotional level that Ishta and Teal'c seemed to be joined on, "You're just a big softy really, aren't you, Muscles?"

"Indeed." Teal'c said with an enigmatic smile as he left Vala alone in her brighter than daylight bedroom to think about what they had spoken about together.

Vala sat for an hour, deliberating over her blossoming relationship with Daniel, something she was so excited to live in her future. When Teal'c had commented on the difference between her and Ishta regarding what both women would have done when under attack, it had sparked a new desire in the woman who had very nearly been beyond rescue. Vala made a resolution to think more and act more wisely so that in the future, the prized life of the heroic man she was deeply in love with would not be endangered again in stupid attempts to save her ass from all and sundry who tried to kill her.


	13. A Little Night Music

**Author's Note:**

This was an exceptionally fun chapter to write and one that I hope you've been waiting for as much as I have! I don't know that it bodes well for Vala and Daniel that it just happens to fall in Chapter XIII but I'm excited! Enjoy reading and please review this chapter.

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**Chapter XIII – A Little Night Music**

It had been a week since Dr. Lam had insisted Vala stay bedridden for the foreseeable future and her stir craze was beginning to be contagious. Her first victim of madness was obviously Daniel, who had been spending every possible second he could, trying to keep her amused. She had watched every single DVD owned by the personnel and some of them she had watch multiple times, boring Daniel very nearly to tears. Vala had begun to learn the ancient language of Sanskrit just so she could do something useful with her time and the linguistics expert had to hand it to her, she had a natural flair with languages but in such continual close quarters with her bubbling excitement over every minute bit of progress she made, Daniel was beginning to have profound sympathy for Jack's feelings when he spoke about translations in the past.

Daniel was just on his way to her bedroom after speaking with Carolyn and asking her permission as Chief Medical Officer to take Vala out of the mountain base for a night away. Carolyn found the archaeologist's shyness hilarious when he nervously approached her and requested authorisation for Vala and himself to be off-base _all night_. As the presiding medic at the SGC, Carolyn had the power to grant leave as much as her father did as the almighty general and she knew from the times when she had to meet her father to update him on Vala's progress that both men were avoiding each other's company lest they discuss exactly what occurred off-world.

She had freely consented, "But don't tire her out too much, Dr. Jackson," Dr. Lam jokily warned as he walked out of her office.

Daniel felt mortified at having to actually reveal his intentions with Vala to Carolyn, but he knew that both of them could use getting out of Cheyenne Mountain for at least a night. It was, after all, their workplace and though it was the only place Vala had, he didn't want their first night together to be somewhere so impersonal and commonplace. They were at Stargate Command all the time, so it seemed perfectly reasonable to Daniel to desire to spend such a momentous evening in his own apartment with Vala.

Daniel went into her room without so much as a rap on the door, "Hey, Vala, we're going out tonight…some place special, so dress to the nines!"

"Sounds promising, Daniel." Vala replied with a smirk.

"Well, I fully intend to deliver on that promise." Daniel winked back.

Daniel felt like he was living in a teen movie as he drove Vala, who looked gorgeous (as always) in a stunning crimson dress and black Lagerfeld stilettos to the restaurant where he had made a dinner reservation. He had chosen a place just outside Colorado Springs but round the corner from his apartment. He had not yet had the chance to check it out but he could not have been happier that it was another first for him and the woman he loved to do together.

Vala was aware while she sat in the car humming along to some Bieber person singing on the radio. She honestly could not believe that what she was listening to qualified as music in Tau'ri culture, but the tune was catchy and she could easily pick up the lyrics: "Baby, baby, baby, oh, baby baby…" Daniel had not been particularly talkative since he proposed his plans for this evening to her earlier in the day. She thought it was just because he was nervous about what he was planning they do later but wondered if his taciturnity went way deeper than she had initially thought. Daniel was a widower and he did love his wife and – to Vala's knowledge – he had not been intimate with a woman willingly since. Vala winced audibly as she recalled reading the file on the Goa'uld Hathor, but she understood Daniel's need to keep that incident under wraps, as the deeds of Qetesh were in the same ilk as what Hathor had subjected Daniel to.

They had a great dinner together and once more, Vala stunned their server into an awkward silence as she ordered enough for three people to eat for her meal and drank more than a Viking at harvest time. Daniel was proud that his date was a woman with a voracious appetite and thirst, one he was secretly hoping she would bring with her later in the evening. He had planned to head to his apartment once Vala had consumed her black forest gateau and her apricot clafoutis, but when a club rep happened to slide a flyer for the new club, Matador, onto their table showing that tonight was a Latin dancing night, Vala enthusiastically begged to go.

"Oh, come on, Daniel. It'll be fun, let's dance a bit before we go home." Vala's hysterically happy voice suggested.

Daniel gazed at her dotingly just taking in the sight of her excitement and vitality springing to the forefront of her emotions. It was a magnificent sight…

"Fine, but I'm only agreeing because you sound so happy," Daniel took her hand in his, "I don't want you to overexert yourself and be bedridden again for another week." Daniel shivered at the prospect.

Vala removed her hand to playfully slap his, "Come on then, my Daniel!" and with that, the pair went across the street to Matador.

Daniel as a rule loathed the clubbing scene and he always had, even when he was in college. Sarah had tried on numerous occasions to coax him out but she was very rarely successful. He was, however, so delighted to see Vala's cheerful spirits return after her imprisonment in the SGC as an invalid that he sucked it up and held her hand as they stood in line. When they came face to face with the bouncers, Daniel moved to retrieve his driver's license but with one glance at his companion, the burly man before them just motioned them into the club with no questions asked. Now Daniel understood how Vala had survived all the years before they had met, her beauty certainly did open a lot of doors for her. Daniel laughed as it dawned on him that if he were to be conned or hoodwinked by anyone, he would rather she were the perpetrator because he couldn't imagine a more beautiful con artist.

They reached the dance floor, Daniel took Vala in his arms in an intimate Latin hold and Vala was shocked at the grace and poise with which he glided across the floor with her. Once the rhythm of the music stopped and the song changed, Vala pulled Daniel towards the cocktail bar and ordered two passion fruit mimosas…they were her favourite.

Daniel sipped his drink while Vala knocked hers back in one fell swoop. He knew from SG-1's intermittent movie nights where Mitchell would haul a bar's worth of booze that Vala was a lightweight when it came to her drink and he did not want her to be completely catatonic before he had a chance to get her back to his apartment.

"Time for another?"

"Oh no, sweetheart, I don't think so. What say you we go back to mine and dance our own dance?" Daniel said invitingly.

Astounded by Daniel's flirtation, all Vala could do was nodded her head slowly in response to his plan.

Daniel smirked at his effect on her and led her out of the club and back to his parked car where they made a quiet journey to his apartment where many delights awaited them.

Vala had been in Daniel's apartment on many occasions but never alone with Daniel before and that feeling made her nervous for what the evening held in store for her. She hesitantly walked into Daniel's hallway while he locked the front door. She felt herself be shoved against the wall with Daniel's body pinning her up and a moment later, his lips bore down on hers and his tongue instantly demanded entry and the chance to mingle with hers. As Vala wrapped her arms around Daniel's neck, keeping him as close as she could, she felt all her prior worries vanish into thin air.

Daniel managed to get the smallest of gaps between him and Vala, enough for him to whisper seductively, "How about we move this to another room now that you're feeling better?"

With a peck on his puckered lips, Vala gripped his shirt and tugged him towards his bedroom where they both fell onto the bed, entangled and giggling with exhilaration.


	14. What Home Is

**Author's Note:**

We are now just over half way through this story. I never start writing unless I know precisely where the story is going and how many chapters it's going to take to get there, so there are going to be 25 chapters in this story, and this one is not a very chatty chapter, it's more reflective and descriptive, so keep on reading and reviewing because the drama's only going in one direction: up!

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**Chapter XIV – What Home Is**

As Vala's grey eyes reacted to the new sunlight that lit up Daniel's bedroom, the happiness that was coursing through her body seemed too good to be true and she held her breath waiting for the Goa'uld to storm through the door and ruin it all, until she took a deep breath and was comforted in the firm knowledge that the events of the previous night had really taken place and this was neither a dream nor a nightmare. She felt a warm, moving surface beneath her and smiled as she was soothed by the gentle rise and fall of Daniel's muscular chest. The sounds and memories of a lover being at her side in the morning after was a sensation that Vala was new to since none of her previous sexual partners had bothered to fall asleep near her after they had slept together, some barely happened with two words to each other, so when the woman experienced the feeling of awaking to someone who genuinely and thoroughly loved her, she was hit by the raw sentimentality of the situation.

She spent a few minutes just watching the entrancing rise and fall of his chest and thinking about his scruffy head of hair that had become mussed up and unkempt after their nocturnal activities, the vision reminded her of all of the heroes in the romantic comedies she enjoyed watching. Vala did not expect to be amazed at how altered his face appeared without glasses framing his eyes. Last night marked the first time she had seen him without them and while she adored him without them, she found herself oddly taken with the cute, smart and geeky looking Daniel Jackson.

Vala carefully extracted herself from the rumpled sheets and was cautious not to rouse Daniel from what looked to be serene slumber. She managed to locate the shirt Daniel had cast off last night and put it on. It made her feel even more proud and content at what they did the previous evening as she explored her lover's home with new sight as Daniel's girlfriend instead of Daniel's friend and teammate.

When Vala had been there before with the rest of SG-1, she had been preoccupied with the conversation and being sociable, but now, she was truly at liberty to inhale all the wondrous artefacts and mementos that adorned the apartment. Daniel's past had taken him all over this world and others and over the years he had amassed quite the collection of rare and valuable items. Mostly, the apartment had shelves upon shelves of ancient Egyptian objects, ranging from limestone tablets to threadbare sheets of papyrus, but there was also a myriad of alien pieces. Daniel had worked for years to attain the security clearance to actually own some of the alien evidence that he unearthed off-world, the IOA and military leaders had been hesitant to authorise it (for obvious reasons) but Daniel had established a system where if the item in question could be proved to have no use with certainty, that it was only decorative or academic, then one of the senior academic staff at the SGC could put in a formal request for custody of said artefact. So far, the scheme had been a resounding success, unusually for all personnel at Stargate Command, nothing had yet gone awry with any of the off-base alien material.

Sidling past the boring, academic stuff, Vala came upon some things which aroused her interest: Daniel's photos. There were pictures of Daniel with his parents, whom Vala knew had both perished tragically when Daniel was still in his formative years, there were two SG-1 team photos, one that was clearly taken several years ago because only Jack, Sam, Teal'c and Daniel were in the photo, whereas in the more recent one, Daniel was standing beside Vala with his arm slung casually around her shoulders. There were two more photos that pulled Vala's eyes from the representation of herself, one was of Sarah Gardner, the other was of Sha're.

Vala knew a little about the past that existed between the archaeologists and the reason why Daniel had gotten himself dumped. She also knew that – like herself – Daniel's ex-girlfriend had been taken as a Goa'uld host. Vala remembered from her days as the host of Qetesh that Osiris had always been a bastard and was never implanted into a male host because he was both a chauvinistic pig and a had a bit of a God complex issue, but that was not abnormal for a Goa'uld. She knew that Sarah was still alive and she and Daniel kept in touch, as friends, so she merely wondered what hold Daniel's old college friend had over him to keep him interested in her.

"What is it about the pair of you? Daniel loved you both so much but you both left him…" Vala mumbled as she peered at the frames.

"Sha're, you were his wife, the woman he left his entire planet and all his friends for. How could I compete with you on any level?" Vala looked down at her feet as her insecurities began to swim to the surface of her mind, "Daniel loved you so much that your death nearly spelled his. I still think he looks for you every time I walk into a room and is disappointed when I'm the intruder."

Vala was so immersed in expounding her fears and reservations to the representations of Daniel's former loves that she did not hear the faint sounds of Daniel's feet on the carpet signalling his presence and he had overheard Vala's last remark to the photo of his deceased wife.

Once she had said her piece to Sha're, Vala turned back to Sarah, "And you, you had so much in common with him. You were both clever and shared the same passion for learning and the past. I don't have that; we share nothing except for an ability to wield a P90 with conviction. Whatever this thing that we got going is, I doubt it will last. He'll get tired of me eventually and go looking for someone with Carter's brains and the innocence of the Virgin Mary." Vala's voice petered away and swiftly became a sob as she envisioned a future where Daniel sent her away and went after another who was better for him than she was and all she had left was a shattered and torn heart.

Daniel's own heart broke hearing what Vala's true fears were, fears she felt she could only share with depictions of women from his past. He couldn't believe that her deepest, darkest feelings were so sad and fearful, especially relating to her future with him, which to him was not in the slightest doubt. He was about to make the step toward her to console her, when she spoke once more.

Her eyes darting between the faces behind glass before her, Vala whispered, "If Daniel left me, I don't think I could survive that. I just wonder, if I died after he cast me aside, would he shed a single tear for me?"

"No, I wouldn't." Daniel's strong voice said from the doorway.

Vala wheeled round to face Daniel, with a blush colouring her cheeks and heating the wetness from her tears there, "Daniel, how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," he replied as he glided towards her, "long enough to know that I would not weep for you if you died after I left you, for the simple and eternal reason that I could never, _never_," Daniel engulfed her in a strong embrace as he reached her, "leave you. It would be like leaving my heart behind."

Vala did not respond, she only wrapped her arms around his waist and began to calm down in his arms. She was pleasantly surprised when Daniel pulled away, only to crush her lips with a strong and reassuring kiss. She reacted in kind and permitted Daniel to show her the extent of his love for her until the both of them needed air.

"Vala, don't _ever_ fret about being like Sha're and Sarah. You're not – at all – and I love that about you. You're not as naïve as Sha're was and you're not as academic as Sarah is, instead you're unfathomable and funny and you do wield a P90 with great grace and dexterity," Daniel laughed as he tapped her teasingly on the nose with his finger, "and to boot, I love you with all my heart, Vala. I don't love you because you remind me of Sha're or Sarah, so don't try to be like them, just be yourself and I'll never be able to leave you."

Daniel felt Vala's entire body relax as she allowed him to calm her fears. He knew that she still had demons to defeat and worries to release, but he definitely believed that between the both of them they had put a lot of Vala's anxieties to rest.


	15. The Day Off

**Chapter XV – The Day Off**

After Daniel's early morning discovery of Vala's innermost terrors, he had called Stargate Command to let them know that as there were no urgent off-world dial-ins or outs, or any research that needed to be done, he would not be going in today. He had not called in for a vacation day in a long time, in fact, not since Jack had been the leader of SG-1, so he had enough paid leave and Vala was still technically on sick leave and off active duty, so her staying off-base was not an issue.

He planned to just have a regular day at home, with no emergencies or issues, just him and the woman he loved at home doing ordinary things together just like people who did not travel through space and battle aliens on a daily basis. He had popped out to the rental store and brought back box sets of British comedies, including "Fawlty Towers" and "Monty Python". They were the only shows he had enjoyed while he lived in England and it was part of himself that he had not been able to share with Sha're and Sarah had always had more of an erudite taste, but Daniel was certain that Vala would adore them too. Then she would feel that the two of them had more in common than she did currently.

Daniel had been absolutely correct. Vala had perked up remarkably as the day went by, in particular after he had cooked beef fajitas for lunch and she had devoured them in her own unique way, relishing every bite and each new flavour as it touched her tongue. Daniel still felt shivers travel the length of his spine while he watched her eat with keen eyes. Never before had he derived pleasure equal to the eater, not with his wife nor with Sarah, so in some ways he was gladdened that Vala had expressed her fears that he viewed her in comparison to his former lovers since it did alter his perception of her, making him realise that in the ways in which she was different, she was absolutely, without a doubt the most perfect woman he had ever had the fortune to encounter.

As the daylight melted into a beautiful sunset and Vala reminded him that soon her appetite would return and she must be fed immediately, Daniel's phone rang.

"Hello?" Daniel said as he watched Vala dive into a box of DVD's with a Christmas child's smile plastered across her face.

"Daniel, hi, it's me…" Daniel heard the voice but just couldn't place it, "Sarah."

Daniel's face fell as he heard the name of his ex-girlfriend while watching his current girlfriend pilfer his film collection, "Sarah, hi. It's been a while since I've heard from you. How are you doing?"

"Oh, you know, same old, same old," Sarah's voice had changed along with her personality since Osiris had taken her as a host she had withdrawn from society and become a complete hermit. Only members of the SGC whom she knew were still in relatively regular contact with her.

She used to be a bubbly and perfectly content woman, but the Goa'uld had reduced her to a shell of her former self. She still struggled with the memories of the heinous deeds her body had wreaked across the galaxy whilst under the control of another being who in turn tortured her constantly for nothing but sport.

"Sarah? What's the matter?" Daniel could tell that she had called him with a certain sense of purpose and he knew it was his fault that she had gotten tied up in all the mess with the Goa'uld, so he had to be there for her now, even though his real desire was to hang up and take Vala to bed.

Sarah hesitated, "Well…I just…" she took a deep breath, "I just wondered if maybe I could come over for dinner tonight. I know it's rude of me, but I just needed someone to speak to today. I haven't been able to get out of the house for weeks…"

As Sarah's voice trailed off, Daniel observed Vala choose their next film and noticed the happy expression on her face. Could he really give Sarah the go ahead to come over with Vala still here such a short time after their first time sleeping together? Would that just fuel her insecurities about the depth and sincerity about his feelings for her? Then again, Daniel knew that Vala experienced the traumas and memories of Qetesh's acts over and over again in her nightmares and she never turned down an opportunity to help an innocent host of a Goa'uld if she could help it, so with a sigh, Daniel said, "Sure, Sarah. Chinese sound good?"

"Sure. I'll just have Kung Pow chicken with mushroom rice. Thanks, Daniel. Goodbye."

Now that Daniel had stopped talking to Sarah, the task of informing Vala that there would be a third for dinner was at hand. He went down to where she was crouching before his television with the cardboard box in front of her and wrested her hands from the films, holding them firmly between his.

Vala's expression went from a grin to an ashen petrification in an instant, "Daniel, what's the matter? You're frightening me…"

"Oh, honey," Daniel said, drawing her into his arms, contrite that he had scared her so with his melodramatic attempted pacification, "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry. It's just that…that was Sarah on the phone and she's coming over for dinner tonight. Chinese all right for you?" Daniel said the last words hurriedly, not giving her a chance to comment.

Daniel merely sat and watched as Vala frowned and tried to comprehend what he had just said, "So, sweetheart, you okay?"

"Daniel, why today? What made you think that today – our first real day together – would be a good occasion to have your ex-girlfriend over for dinner?" Vala took a fearful breath, "Unless…last night didn't mean to you what it meant to me."

Precisely what Daniel had feared had happened and with his luck, he knew he shouldn't have expected anything else, "Vala, last night meant _everything _to me. Don't ever think otherwise. And, I didn't want Sarah to come over for dinner tonight, but she rang just now and she sounded like there was something wrong, so what could I do? It doesn't mean anything, she's just a friend now and since Osiris, she doesn't have many, Vala. Surely you can empathise with that?"

Vala recoiled at his final question but replied nevertheless, "Daniel, I do empathise with her, probably more than most," Vala huffed but gazed at him lovingly and sidled into his lap, "and I suppose I can't blame you for caring for your friend and I believe you when you say that is all she is. In fact, I would quite like to meet her," Vala chirped as her smile returned and she gave Daniel a swift peck on the lips.


	16. A Host or Two

**Author's Note:**

Thanks so much to everyone who has left such lovely reviews, in particular I.M. Frelling-Wonko and SciFiSiren2! I look forward to reading more…which is a feeling I hope you have for the remainder of this story. So, see you at the next chapter! By the by, Chi Kenton is a Chinese restaurant in Exeter, U.K. and I know it seems like Jacek/Adria have gone off the map but there is interesting stuff coming up with them, but the last couple of chapters had to be juicy Daniel/Vala stuff, yet this one with Sarah has been one of the most fun to write.

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**Chapter XVI – A Host or Two**

Vala had spent over an hour in Daniel's bedroom peering into his inadequately small mirror trying to ensure she looked as striking as possible for when Sarah arrived for dinner. She had bemoaned the lack of product that Daniel kept in his apartment, but he had used her reprimand as an opportunity to flatter her and stay on her good side, by telling her that she looked the most gorgeous when no product was used to detract from her God-given beauty.

She had been pleased by Daniel's romantic flatteries but still her nerves were whirling round her as she readied herself for their impending guest. Though she had seen the photograph of Sarah and deemed her attractive enough for her Daniel, she knew that being host to a Goa'uld altered one's demeanour and appearance. In the years after Qetesh's extraction, on the few occasions she had caught her reflection in a looking glass she had noticed all the youth and vigour had disappeared from her face and her body had lost all of its giddy bearing. In her appearance tonight, not only did she desire to make a startling impression as Daniel's current and permanent girlfriend, but also to demonstrate to her that no matter how far along the road Sarah was to recovery from her ordeals, there was a very real chance that at the end she would be nearly back to her old self…or at least a functioning human being.

"Vala, get out of the bedroom now please! She's just buzzed up and is in the elevator!" Daniel yelled to his girlfriend.

Vala shook her head, "Daniel, love, you have yet to learn why it takes me so long to look halfway decent, but do not interrupt that time!" Vala shouted in return, "I will be out there soon enough!"

Daniel flapped his arms down to his side in sheer exasperation, "If we waited for me to understand why women take _forever_ to get ready for _casual_ events, you'd never get fed, so just come out here, I'm begging you."

"I'm here now, satisfied?" Vala said mockingly as she emerged from his bedroom.

Daniel took in the sight of her with her newly coiffured hair and retouched make up. She looked beguiling without any artificial means of making herself more attractive, but Daniel would have been lying to himself (and to her) if he said that with her hair in her usual pigtails, but combed, with her lips and cheekbones accentuated by her lip gloss and blusher she did not look infinitely more beautiful than she did in her SG-1 or civilian gear.

"Darling, you look…" Daniel took an appreciative breath as he enfolded her in his arms in a tight hug and planted a tender kiss on her nose, "breath-taking."

Vala sniggered, "Well, that was the look I was aiming for, so my first mission in your bedroom was accomplished," Vala winked as she went to answer the knock at Daniel's front door, "and my second and most important mission will be attempted later tonight."

Daniel trailed Vala to the door, knowing that it might freak Sarah out to be greeted at the door by somebody as forward and unknown as Vala. When he reached the already open door and saw Sarah's bewildered face, he smiled and said, "Hey, Sarah, do come in. This is Vala…" Daniel looked at the ebony-haired woman at his side with a new sort of smile, "my girlfriend."

Sarah's eyes widened, "Your…" she frowned uncomfortably, "girlfriend?"

"Yeah," Daniel sighed apologetically, "but it's all right, she's a member of SG-1 too and she knows all about you so no need to fret."

Sarah merely nodded and followed the couple into Daniel's living room, where she sat down opposite both of them and fiddled with the silver rings on her fingers.

Vala's eyes darted between Daniel and Sarah for a moment before deciding that if nobody else would start speaking, she would have to for the sake of everyone's sanity, "So, Sarah, what are you doing now?"

Sarah viewed the other woman intently, trying to read her intentions and attitude in a single moment's look, "Well, not much really…" she hesitated and for a second, Daniel believed she would descend into tears, "not since before…"

Daniel put his friend out of her misery, "Dinner should be here soon. We ordered from Chi Kenton and they're usually pretty quick off the mark."

Sarah gave him a thankful smile but returned her attention to Vala and murmured, "Ever since I was a host to that….that _thing_, I haven't been able to do anything normal. I can't work because every time I do all I can think of is how my work led me to Osiris and how none of this shit would have happened to me if I hadn't have been an archaeologist. I can't talk to anyone because every time I open my mouth, not knowing which voice will speak scares the crap out of me!"

Vala's eyes quickly became overwhelmed by tears as she recalled each feeling Sarah described, but she had known nobody who could have sheltered and supported her when she was experiencing them, whereas Sarah knew she had the care of everyone at Stargate Command who knew of her situation and especially the other members of SG-1, both original and new, who had watched her return from the abyss of being a Goa'uld host.

Daniel could do nothing but notice the similarity between the two women as one of them shared her horrific experiences at the hands of the Goa'uld and the other revisited her own memories of her past sufferings at their hand. Sarah had not yet – remarkably – succumbed to the tears which were calling out to her, but Vala already had rivers streams of tears running down her cheeks, so Daniel reached out and grasped her hand to alleviate what pain he could.

Vala smiled tensely at Daniel but then looked through bloodshot eyes at Sarah and decided that it was the ideal time to confess her past, "You know I was a host for a long time?"

The astounded expression that washed across Sarah's already wan face prevented her from addressing the news that Vala had presented.

"I was host to a Goa'uld named Qetesh. I was for years and years, so many that I don't think I could actually tell you exactly how long she had control of me, but I remember everything, every word, every torturous act and every execution that she made me do to innocent people," Vala's voice broke under the strain of what she was divulging, "and when the Tok'ra finally took me and Qetesh hostage for _her _crimes, they had been perfecting their extraction procedure, so Qetesh was painfully tortured and executed by her greatest foes and I was released by the Tok'ra. By that time, I had nobody. Everyone whom I knew before Qetesh took me had suffered greatly at her hand and held me responsible, so I could not stay at home. My own mother turned against me and cast the first stone when my village stripped me and flung me into the village square to stone me to death. You see, they didn't truly understand that Qetesh had complete control over me while I hurt and slaughtered them, so they were under the impression that I was complicit so they punished me for _all _of it."

Sarah and Vala had remained unexpectedly stoic while the latter narrated the story of her time as a Goa'uld host, but Daniel had surrendered to his sympathetic nature and cried for what Vala had been put through in her past. Though he did not weep for himself, he needed to show Vala the love he bore for her and so he drew her gently onto his lap and she went willingly into his embrace. She held onto his hand firmly, caressing his knuckles comfortingly as she took up her tale once more.

"I was left completely alone in the galaxy, which is why I turned to thievery and scams," she smiled softly at Daniel, "I had to steal to survive in the world I had been abandoned to and I was talented, to which Daniel will surely attest as I beat his sorry ass when we first met but anywa-"

"Hang on a second there, sweetheart," Daniel interrupted playfully, "if my memory serves – and it does – I won that particular fight!"

"As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted," Vala poked Daniel in the ribs, "I was alone, but I sit here and I look at you. You were a doctor, you had everything going for you before Osiris overtook your body and mind and although you will never be the same as what you were before, there is every possibility that if you keep trying to carve out some kind of normal existence, ultimately you will get one back." Vala said with so much sincerity that Daniel was shocked into smiling lovingly at her honesty, which she did not usually hand out freely, but she seemed to have seen a connection of trust with Sarah that enabled her to share her most intimate history with her.

Sarah could not speak but only stare at Vala in wonderment at her advice and decency. Sarah could not comprehend how someone who had been through the trials that being a Goa'uld host entailed could emerge on the other side to be a somewhat cogent and efficient person and in what seemed to be a serious relationship, no less!

Just as Sarah steeled herself to embrace Vala, the doorbell rang and Vala hopped off Daniel's lap, grabbed his wallet off the table and scampered to retrieve the take-out, "Food's here…finally!"

While Vala was out of earshot, Sarah leaned over to Daniel and murmured, "She is so…normal. She acts like nothing happened to her."

Daniel shook his head, "No, Sarah, her past is present in her every action and every word. It is plain to those of us who know her well. It's what shapes her as a human being and more recently, as a member of SG-1. She is always trying with all her might to atone for the sins her body did, she just doesn't allow it to overshadow the joys she finds in everyday and novel things. She leaves the past in the past while moving on with her future."

Vala had already paid the delivery guy and reached the table behind Daniel by the time he had finished his final words, so she corrected the mistake she had overheard, "_our_ future, sweetheart."

Daniel got up to help Vala unpack dinner and dish it up, giving her an affectionate squeeze as he joined her. Meanwhile, Sarah observed the couple and noted how well suited they were, as both had endured some of life's harder tribulations but had both overcome their respective demons to start making a life for each other together. She wished she had been so patient as to have that with Daniel, but now knew it could never be and that he was happy with the right woman for him…

Vala gave Sarah's two dishes to her and then proceeded to sit down with her five and tucked in with her fiendish hunger. The alien woman had already begun to notice a change in Sarah even from the woman who had shyly hovered into the apartment a while ago as if she was afraid with every step that the ground would open into a fiery lava pit and engulf her. Now, she was starting to relax and engage properly with the conversation which had moved on (thanks to Daniel) to some news on the anthropological front that Sarah relished but Vala found it hard to care for. She just listened and observed as Sarah and Daniel interacted and both of their good spirits returned. Daniel fed off his friend's good humour and Sarah savoured the chance to converse with someone with whom she could share her alien past with but also discuss topics which formerly interested her professionally.

As they all finished their food, including Vala, who consumed her meal hastily and left not a morsel on the plate, Sarah felt she had to leave since she had realised during dinner that Daniel had been his usual kind self when he had acquiesced to her request to join him for dinner but she had clocked that Daniel and Vala were a relatively recent item and she knew of members of SG teams that they got very little time off-base, especially when they weren't from Earth, so she had to leave them in peace and to their own devices.

While Vala escorted her to the door as Daniel cleared their dinnerware away, she gave Sarah a final piece of friendly advice, "You seem better, Sarah. You've already come along way and it's only been in an hour or two. I hope we can stay in touch, in fact, I'm seriously thinking about telling off some people at the SGC for not letting me meet you earlier. I like you and I think we could be great friends and I don't have many," Vala thought for a moment, "actually, any friends outside Cheyenne Mountain. So, how about I call you when I can next get authorisation to be off-base and we indulge in some…how Sam put it…the cultural offerings of pedicures, mochachinos and Victoria's Secret?"

"Sure…I'd like that, Vala." Sarah replied, laughing for the first time in months at Vala's definition of Earth's cultural offerings as she exited the apartment.

Vala waltzed happily back to Daniel and wrapped her arms around his hips with a wide grin, "Well, I think we accomplished something magnificent tonight, my Daniel."

Daniel turned away from the sink to face the woman he adored even more after this evening, "No, _you_ accomplished something magnificent. It was your sincerity and help that has made her life better, just like it has made my life better," Daniel whispered fondly as he pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that told her without words just how much he loved her for what she had done for his – now their – friend.

Vala licked her lips as she treasured the lingering taste of Daniel's soft lips on hers and with a coy tilt of her head, she took his hand and led him to his bedroom, "So, now that we're alone once more…how's about we attend to my second mission?"

Daniel smiled and pressed her between him and the door of his bedroom for a long, passionate kiss before they both fell laughing into the room entirely tangled around each other.


	17. Poor Tidings

**Author's Note:**

Again I have to express my sincere gratitude for the reviews being left for this story. I am particularly happy that you all enjoyed the commencement of Vala and Sarah's friendship (if only it could have happened in the TV show!) Just a note to say that part of Teal'c and Cameron's dialogue in this chapter paraphrases (quite nicely, if I do say so myself) dialogue between Rodney McKay and Hermiod from Stargate Atlantis, of which I am also a fan.

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**Chapter XVII – Poor Tidings**

"I'm not getting it! It's your bloody apartment, Daniel!" Vala moaned as she shoved her lover's arm away from her naked body.

Vala heard him huff in frustration, "Vala! You're the one on the side of the damn phone, so just pick it up! It's five in the morning for cryin' out loud!"

Vala ignored the irritating, shrill ring of the phone as she turned around, clutching the covers to her chest, to face Daniel, "For cryin' out loud? Since when did you wake up doing rotten impressions of Jack o'Neill? And get up and answer _your_ phone!"

Daniel sat bolt upright hearing her compare him to his former commanding officer and best friend, but seeing that she was correct ended up being the real impetus for him to get out of bed, slide his boxers on and pick up the landline, yet he knew very well that if his phone was ringing at 5am, there was only one person who would be on the other end of the line.

"Hello, Walter, what can I do for you this _fine_ morning?" Daniel said, taking no pains to conceal his early morning grumpiness.

"Sorry, Dr. Jackson. Is Vala still with you? Only…it's important." Walter Harriman's normally calm voice sounded as if something had gone disastrously awry, so Daniel kicked at Vala firmly to signal that she really needed to start getting dressed.

"Sure she is, but what's happened?"

"SG-3 has returned from P3X2990 and…well," Walter's voice faltered, "it's not good. You and Vala need to return to the Mountain ASAP on General Landry's orders and with his apologies."

"That's fine, tell Landry we'll be there in half an hour," Daniel replaced the receiver, "Vala, get out of bed! They need us at the SGC."

Vala, luckily got to drift to sleep in the car on the way back to work, but Daniel had to remain conscious to get them there in one piece. They hurried to the briefing room once they had passed all the routine security checks at the various levels entering the base, but once they reached the assembly of all the necessary personnel, a sad sight met their eyes. The members of SG-3 who were present were heavily wounded and the sombre looks on their faces told a story which Daniel recognised…one of their team had died on mission. This did not bode well for any of them nor the galaxy in general if Laverna was wielding so much power so capably.

General Landry nodded in greeting at the pair of them as they entered, "Dr. Jackson, Vala, please take a seat. Colonel Braxton, will you back it up for all of us?"

Braxton inhaled deeply as he began his version of the events that had happened on P3X2990, "Well, General, everything was going swimmingly the second we stepped through the Stargate. We were undetected by Laverna's forces though there were patrols of Jaffa swarming across the terrain. We reached the contingent of spacecraft that was landed about three miles from the gate," the Colonel sighed and looked apologetic as he continued, "she has a host of Goa'uld vessels plus two Ori warships."

The entire room's morale fell off a cliff at hearing the news that a Goa'uld hell-bent on the destruction of Earth had managed to acquire two Ori ships, which they knew from past experience were absolute bastards to destroy.

Teal'c was the first to resume the discussion, "Colonel Braxton, how many Jaffa warriors does she command?"

"We think that she has an army 300 Jaffa strong, but that's just the forces we observed around the gate and what we estimate the ships hold. It could be more, but it's certainly not less."

The SGC personnel knew that the strength of Laverna's forces did not bode well for the security of the planet or the lives of those who were in charge of fighting to preserve their home.

General Landry turned to Daniel, "Dr. Jackson, what have you and Colonel Carter managed to find out about this Goa'uld…Laverna?"

Daniel commenced, "Well, from what I have read, Laverna was known on Earth as the ancient Roman goddess of trickery. She was known to have been an ally of the System Lords, Ba'al and Quirinus. Quirinus was a human originally who was taken as a Goa'uld host because he wielded great power as a human, in fact," Daniel surveyed the faces around him as he got stuck into the history of the matter, "he was the human we know as Romulus, the founder and ruler of Rome before the Goa'uld took control of his body and his people declared him a God as he was known then on as Quirinus."

Sam had recognised the familiar sign that Daniel had gotten caught up in the historical and – at this moment in time – irrelevant details, so she quickly took over the task of informing the room's occupants of the information concerning their latest foe, "Laverna has since been an afterthought at best to the Goa'uld. After the Goa'uld left Earth and Quirinus was later slain by Yu, she retreated to the furthest point in the galaxy and has more or less been in hiding ever since. It seems, however, that once we began to knock off all the System Lords and the Tok'ra grew in strength and bravery, in other words, since the death of Ra, she has been gathering all the forces she can and keeping them concealed on P3X2990, which we only visited by chance because of Jacek's information. If we had been following the pattern of Stargates on the database of the Ancients, it would still be years away from us travelling there."

"Thank you, Dr. Jackson and Colonel Carter for an interesting," Hank nodded at Daniel, "and informative background story of Laverna," he then nodded at Sam.

Braxton picked up where he had left off, "Anyhow, we managed to eavesdrop on a few of the patrols' conversations with each other and the army is readying itself for an offensive which is to happen in four days."

"Shit." Cameron said, just loud enough for SG-1 and what remained of SG-3 to hear, but the General did not catch his expletive.

Teal'c leaned over to his commanding officer and murmured, "Shit, indeed."

"So, plan anybody?" Landry inquired with force.

Sam leaned forward on the table as she was wont to do when an ingenious strategy formed itself in her avid mind, "Well, sir, I have an idea but for it to succeed, we'll need the Odyssey to be repaired and updated. By my estimation, the fixes required would usually take around a week at best, but if I could take a team down, I believe I could have it up and ready in double quick time…at least, soon enough for us to have a fighting chance against Laverna."

The rest of the staff breathed a sigh of relief at hearing that the renowned genius, Colonel Samantha Carter had so speedily formulated a way out for all of them. It was ever her task to be the brains and theirs to be the brawn that made her plans happen.

"Great, Carter you have a go. Take whomever you need down to the Odyssey and on your way, have the Chief communicate what's going on to Colonel Caldwell. The rest of you, have you got prep to do?"

As Carter left, Daniel and Vala looked at each other, "We'll do some more research on Laverna and see if there are any weaknesses that might help us in the fight."

Mitchell and Landry shared a look as the new couple followed Carter out the briefing room, hoping that "more research" was not a euphemism for something else, but really both knew that they would do anything they could to help their friends in the effort to save the planet, just as they had done before. There was still the matter of Dr. Jackson's disciplinary action, but in the light of this global crisis, that would have to wait and if they came out of this fix alive, hopefully with some notable action from the civilian, Hank Landry anticipated that he could put a spin on events that would exempt the Doctor from such measures.

The day turned into night and back into day while SG-3 had been recuperating as well as trying their best to aid SG-1 in their efforts to mount a defence of the planet and launch one on Laverna's, Stargate Command was on high alert at DEFCON 2. The employees of the SGC had not slept in over 48 hours but were soldiering on and doing everything they could to prepare for the mission that Sam had planned.

Vala and Daniel were in Daniel's office, rifling through ancient documents and newer textbooks. Mitchell was servicing his collection of guns. Teal'c was in the gym sparring with SG-7. Sam was still at Area 51 working on the Odyssey.

Suddenly, the four members of SG-1 at Cheyenne Mountain were sprinting up to the control room as seconds before the alarm had blared and a voice had resounded through the base announcing that Stargate Command was going to DEFCON 1.

General Landry and Walter greeted them with sombre expressions and were both gazing at a monitor which was showing a multitude of red blips approaching Earth's orbit. The gravity of the new development had dropped like a ton of bricks on all of the new arrivals.

"I have recalled Colonel Carter. The ships will be in the planet's orbit in less than 12 hours. We're in trouble, people, unless Colonel Carter makes contact in good time saying that my plan can be done."

Vala looked confused, "Your plan, General?"

Landry stated plainly, with a remorseful glance at Teal'c, "I want the Odyssey to beam your team onto one of the Ori vessels and then from there you can fire upon the other ships."

Cameron frowned, spotting a flaw in the General's tactics, "But, sir, the ships will be teeming with Jaffa. As much as I believe in our capabilities, how the hell is SG-1 supposed to take out an entire Ori warship's worth of highly trained Jaffa?"

"I want you to take canisters of the symbiote poison that the Tok'ra left here and deploy them on the first of the Ori warships."

The four members of SG-1 looked at each other with heavy hearts and minds that were fully aware of the low probability that they would come through their approaching mission alive, but they were SG-1 and it was what they did…


	18. Mission

**Author's Note:**

I hope all you lovely readers remember the note before Chapter I because it is relevant for this chapter too…this is not an action story, its sole aim is to better explore the character, Vala Mal Doran and her relationship with Daniel Jackson. Therefore, the action is a minor part of the story and I do not want to be told that if this were the TV show, the action would be more exciting. That said, the characters' roles in the action is vital to my writing so please do comment.

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**Chapter XVIII – Mission**

SG-1 had gone up on the Odyssey and the ship was in geosynchronous orbit above Africa, which was on the other side of the planet and out of range of the enemy fleet. Sam had sufficiently enhanced the ship's beaming capabilities and targeting systems so the chances of their successful and secret arrival on the lead enemy vessel would be assured. Despite everyone concerned trusting the Colonel's exemplary talent at engineering improvements on Earth's only spaceship, SG-1 was worried that – with their mission record – something was bound to go wrong and their presence would be quickly felt on the Ori warship, so they prepared for the worst case scenario.

Daniel and Vala took some time to themselves before they had to head out, just because they both shared a feeling of impending disaster regarding the task ahead and if something were to happen to either or both of them, then their time together had been too short and both needed each other to understand their regrets if that were to happen.

While Daniel cleaned out his P90, he looked deep into Vala's eyes, as if looking right into her heart and said gently, "Vala, if something happens, don't forget that I love you and always will."

Vala's lips drew up into a warm smile, "I know. And know, my Daniel, that I love you too. Always have and always will."

They soon were called to join the rest of their team and were each given locator beacons so their signals could be tracked aboard the Ori warship and beamed off again once their job had been done.

Stephen Caldwell sat in the chair before them, as they were about to be beamed away, with a nod, he bade them farewell, "SG-1, good luck."

The next second, SG-1 was in the loading bay of the Ori warship and surprisingly, to four of them, at least, no enemy warriors were in sight. Mitchell did not hesitate to signal the team to divide and spread through the ship placing the charges and canisters of symbiote poison in the designated places on board the ship. Daniel and Sam left for the port side and Teal'c headed off for the starboard side alone, leaving Mitchell and Vala to make their way to the bridge.

Teal'c had mixed feelings about this mission. He understood why his brother Jaffa had to be killed but it wounded him greatly to ponder on the immense loss of life that was about to take place for his kind. In the past, Teal'c had taken great pains to ensure that before Jaffa were exterminated, they were given ample opportunities to join the Free Jaffa Nation, so now, for so many to be killed without being offered a chance for their freedom saddened him. He realised that secrecy and surprise were necessary for General Landry's plan to succeed but it still seemed a dreadful waste to put out the lives of so many Jaffa to kill a single powerful Goa'uld.

He easily made it to the starboard end of the ship without being detected and laid the charges around the canister of poison and ducked into a niche in the wall to remain inconspicuous while he made his way to the bridge so that once Mitchell and Vala had set their charge and they had decimated the other ships they could all be beamed out at once back to the safety of the Odyssey.

Daniel and Sam were finding the intricacies of getting to the port side frustrating. Despite the fact that out of the entire team, they were the most likely to know the layout of the ship, they had gotten lost a few times before eventually discovering the panel covering the vent that was going to disperse the canister of poison around that section of the ship. They finished their part of the job and found a cranny to hide in as a patrol passed but then sneaked off in the direction of the bridge.

Cameron and Vala found the heavily guarded control room of the ship and decided that a distraction would lead the majority of the guard away so that the canister could be detonated. Vala had volunteered to be the distraction and nobody had disagreed that her talents were most suited to the task.

Vala stepped out and wiggled flirtatiously at the warriors standing before the door, "Hiya, boys! Come and get it if you want it," with that she ran from the hallway and ducked into a storage closet before the Jaffa could spot her.

They all took after the gorgeous temptress who led them from their posts so Mitchell muttered, "Nice!" before meandering into the control room where he laid the charges. He was just about to set the ship's powerful guns to neutralise the other ships when a patrol of Jaffa interrupted him.

They did not hesitate to fire upon him and since it seemed futile to maintain radio silence now that their presence had been discovered, Mitchell hollered down his radio, "Guys, we've been found out. I've got a patrol of Jaffa bearing down on me something awful, so if you could all show your pretty faces at some point in the _very_ near future, I'd be mighty grateful!"

He continued his return fire at the opposition but he would soon be out of ammunition and the back-up of his team would be needed imminently, so he thought he'd give them some more encouragement to come and save his ass, "Guys, it might have slipped your notice but this ship hasn't fired on the others, so if your collective butts do not get her ASAP, we're going to be seriously screwed!"

Just as he was about to swear so much his grandma would have been tempted to call a priest had she heard him because his gun ceased its fire, the rest of SG-1 arrived on the scene and had the Jaffa warriors surrounded and shot them all down before they could hit the leader of SG-1.

"Mitchell, you are such a diva when you're under a _little bit_ of fire," Vala said, shaking her head, back to her usual comic self now that the threat had been despatched.

"Shut up, Vala," Mitchell returned his attention to the weapons desk and set the guns to automatic fire upon the enemy ships at the ship's rear.

Daniel heard running footsteps in the hallway and alerted the others, "Guys, we're going to have what sounds like a lot of company in a second…"

"Done!" Mitchell yelled just as a wave of warriors sprang through the door with all weapons firing down on them.

The firing continued with SG-1 reducing the Jaffa lines as they shot at them, but as Jaffa went down, more replaced them swiftly. It was a hopeless situation but their one reassurance was the sound of the ships weaponry going off intermittently, whenever Mitchell could push the button.

Just as Cameron was ready to instruct the Odyssey crew to beam them aboard, detonator in hand, he heard Vala's frantic voice over the fighting exclaim, "My locator, that bloody Jaffa has just blown it to pieces!"

SG-1 had been separated by the onslaught of Jaffa battalions but Vala was the furthest from any of her teammates and of course, something had to go pear-shaped on this mission, or it would have gone too smoothly, so she was the one whose beacon had been destroyed. Daniel ripped the locator off his lapel and lobbed it over to her, "Vala, catch!"

Mitchell rolled his eyes at Daniel's heroism but appreciated the action as it got them out of a bit of a fix as Daniel was inching closer to Teal'c with each second that passed and Mitchell kept monitoring his progress towards his teammate so that he could radio the Odyssey and they could get out of what would be an exploding Ori warship before they were blown to smithereens along with their targets.

"Odyssey, I am about to detonate the charges! Beam in 10! Mitchell, over and out," Cameron announced.

With a nod to Sam and a nod from Vala assuring him that she had attached the locator beacon properly and seeing that Teal'c had a firm hold on Daniel, Mitchell detonated the C-4 that was wired to each of the canisters around the ship and placed around the controls of the ship's shields so that once the Ori warship was indefensible, Colonel Caldwell would open fire on the last remaining ship and destroy what remained of it and its crew, nullifying the force that threatened Planet Earth.

"Now, Odyssey, now!" Mitchell roared.

Instantly, the team were transported onto the bridge of the Odyssey and Sam quickly gave direction for Caldwell to shoot at the Ori warship as he observed that all other ships had been overwhelmed by the fire from their own flagship.

As the ship took three well-aimed shots from the Earth ship's cannons, SG-1 moved to the glass to watch as the ship blew up and with it, the last known Goa'uld. Their mission had been an unquestionable success and they had sustained no injury or loss to speak of.

Vala remarked what she knew her friends were thinking, "Well, there it is. I can't say we've ever done better."

Sam nodded in agreement, "That went much better than anticipated. Beer when we get back, anyone?"

Stunned by the Colonel's proposal for their most triumphant homecoming to date, the rest of SG-1 surrendered to the raucous laughter that threatened them and all concurred that a beer or two was absolutely in order for their return to Stargate Command.


	19. Second Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

Obviously, this story began during "Dominion", which entails the omission of the season 10 finale, which I adored! Daniel's outburst in this chapter is meant to (slightly) mimic his attack on Vala in that episode, which made me cry so much when I watched it over and over again (yes, I am a masochist!). I also followed Martin's advice where you just mention the lead character intermittently when he has left the show… Hope you enjoy reading it and please do leave reviews because I do so enjoy reading them.

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**Chapter XIX – Second Homecoming**

SG-1's homecoming from their most recent mission was indeed the cause for celebration at Cheyenne Mountain. Hank Landry had laid on some food, drink and entertainment for the staff to celebrate the victorious outcome of SG-1's mission and – if he did say so himself – his course of action.

He had also issued authorisation for the party to go ahead in civilian clothing, so everyone had relished the chance to get into some glad rags and have a good time after the team effort to save the world for the umpteenth time. He was sure Teal'c would clarify exactly how many times they had come to Earth's rescue for everyone at the party.

By the time SG-1 arrived on the party scene, everyone else was already there and clapped as they entered the main VIP suite of Stargate Command. Sam looked amazing as she wore a tasteful violet top with velvet black pants. Cameron sported a casual denim look and Teal'c was…Teal'c. It was Vala and Daniel who caught everyone's eye, though, as she wore a stunning Coco Chanel red dress with a sweetheart neckline that made her look elegant whilst her usual pigtails kept her apparel in a casual tone. Daniel looked as handsome as ever in a smart shirt, left open at the collar with dark jeans. It simultaneously occurred to everyone present what a great couple they made and how Vala made Daniel more social and Daniel's seriousness made Vala easier to converse with on a higher level.

Once Landry had toasted the health and success of the team, SG-1 began to mingle with their co-workers and friends. Cameron's eyes were instantly drawn to a certain captivating woman who was beckoning delicately for him to join her by one of the buffet tables, which was the furthest away they could get from her father without being conspicuous. Sam got pulled away quickly by two of the junior physicists on Bill Lee's staff who recently had been trying their luck with the Colonel by flirting in Klingon but to no effect except Sam's pity. Teal'c was standing in solitude with a glass of champagne, interacting with anyone who sought out his company but otherwise the intimidating member of SG-1 was perfectly content just to observe the exchanges between the Tau'ri.

Daniel and Vala were pulled over by several of their co-workers who all congratulated them on their relatively new relationship. One certain Major, however, managed to cause quite the scene at what had been a perfectly delightful soirée.

Major George Ewkiss, who led one of the SGC patrol teams which operated above ground, sidled up next to Vala and joked, "Hey, Vala, before you met Jackson, you know he died like…" he feigned deep thought, "oh, I don't know, a gazillion times?"

Vala's eyes widened as she heard the Major, "Excuse me, Major?"

Daniel's attention was drawn away from his conversation when he heard the alertness in his companion's tone slice through the other voices vying for his attention, so he heard the soldier's next words.

"Well, our Dr. Jackson has been quite busy in the 'getting himself killed on an almost daily basis' department. There was the time SG-1 returned and they all thought he was dead. We held a memorial service and pulled out all the stops and everything. General o'Neill said some very sweet things about him," he slapped Vala playfully on the back, "and then do you know what happened? SG-1 were brainwashed and the good Doctor was still alive in some backwater lab being questioned by an alien!"

While Ewkiss guffawed inanely, Daniel's temper was beginning to flare. The only thing that made him hesitate to shoot the Major down (he dreamed, literally) was the distinctive stench of whiskey pouring into the room with his every foul breath. Daniel had only met George on a few occasions, but when he had, the Major had irritated him to such an extent that he had issued a minor complaint to General Hammond at his nigh-on insubordinate manners. He struck Daniel as a military man who had very little – if any – respect for academia, or those who pursued it in their careers. He was o'Neill without the boyish charm and sharp wit…and the archaeologist best friend!

"That was only topped by the time that he 'ascended'," the Major continued in a sarcastic tone, "then, there was the RepliCarter incident!"

Vala looked amazed as she looked for confirmation in the eyes of her lover and was stunned that no one had ever seen fit to fill her in on Daniel's tendency to die and somehow manage to be resurrected or to return independently from the dead. She was about to put that question itself to Daniel, when her stream of thought was stalled by Ewkiss' next words.

"Vala, it's funny that since you got here, you've died more than he has! And now," he burped loudly, "you're together, God only knows what'll happen! Lol!"

As if the contents of his speech weren't riling enough, the 'lol' had pushed Daniel right up to his breaking point, but no one seemed to notice the rapid escalation of his impatience to get this man to shut the hell up.

Vala thought on the Major's words for a second and started laughing in good humour and once people caught Vala's infectious laugh, they began appreciating George's joke as well. Some making remarks that with their track record in the dying department, it would make interesting odds gambling which would actually die of old age first without coming back, others had suggested to Vala in jest that she'd better insist that Daniel make a new will now that she was involved with him. Yet, when a few SGC employees whom Daniel had never encountered in all his years working there, felt it was socially acceptable to saunter over and join in the joke, saying to Daniel and Vala collectively that their future children would terrify their classmates when they just fell down dead in the classroom and then sat straight up again, Daniel was about to retaliate when words from Vala incensed him further.

She punched the pair of 'jokers' impishly, "I seriously doubt that my Daniel's self-sacrificing attitude is hereditary, so our children will probably possess the inherent selfishness that is prevalent in my own gene pool…though, I wonder why I seem to have died – or at least disappeared – more since meeting Daniel."

As the company he was in laughed heartily at Vala's conundrum, Daniel's temper flared more hearing such words fall from her lips, which could do such good and be the vessel of such beauty, but also had the potential to cause so much harm.

"Vala, for fuck's sake, will you shut up?! I do not want to listen to another word out of you," he eyed the rest of the room, who were standing in shock at his abrupt outburst, with a viciousness that was foreign to him, "or anybody else! I wish you'd all just shut up about dying! Haven't enough of us died?"

Sam had watched her friend exhibit vindictiveness in his attack which she had never before witnessed and would not normally have believed him capable of such angry words. Even when Vala had completely hijacked his life with the drama of the bracelets and made him seriously sick, he had been livid but not even that had conjured up such a venomous rage as whatever the people with whom he had been talking had been postulating.

When she took in the face of Daniel's main victim – Vala – she felt something within her break as the threatening tears were beginning to show and the petrifying fear that was now present on Vala's face made her feel pity for the woman. She knew Vala had an almost unnatural ability to wound with her words, which were nearly never intended to inflict pain, but her cavalier attitude to life was not something that most others shared. It appeared that something she had said, obviously with no clue that her words had the propensity to hurt Daniel's feelings, had really rattled the archaeologist.

Sam slowly glided over and stood behind Vala in the hope of catching Daniel's eye to calm him down so that he could not risk uttering something in the blind rage he was in that would do unspeakable and permanent harm to his relationship with Vala, which Sam knew he was relishing as it flourished. Her endeavour was in vain, however, as Daniel's tirade was unrelenting, not giving him a chance to pause and reflect.

The entire room, filled with the greatest minds America had to offer, was at a loss to know what to do as they witnessed the domestic fight that Doctor Jackson and Vala were involved in. It stunned all of them as they could not believe that even if Daniel had some grievance with his girlfriend, it had seemed the best course of action to him to harangue her in such a public and humiliating a way.

"When will you learn, Vala, some things just shouldn't be joked about?! You didn't know Janet or most of the other people we've lost over the years, so I don't suppose you can understand where I'm coming from, but can't you at least _try_, please, try to see some other people's point of view and how _your_ actions and words can be hurtful to them! God, I hate you so much right now I can't even look at you…" Daniel yelled before turning away and storming from the room.

He left the room in silence and you could have heard a pin drop. Vala just stood in Daniel's wake and watched as he left her. It took a brief moment for her to gain some vision on where she was at present and what _exactly_ had just happened with her and Daniel, but try as she might, she simply could not comprehend what she had said that could have wounded him so. She had not mentioned Dr. Fraiser's death and Daniel knew she would never, ever do anything or say anything to hurt him, so she could not grasp how he had felt it was all right to yell at her like that in front of _everyone _she knew in the world instead of just telling her off privately for whatever it was that she had done to upset him so.

The entire room remained stock still as Vala erupted into waves of loud sobs and tears flowed unchecked down her sad face. Most were too embarrassed to consider moving to comfort the woman, but after noticing that nobody had gone to her side, Sam took her friend into her arms and allowed her to ruin her favourite silk top, but held her while Cameron and Teal'c motioned for everyone to leave Vala and Sam in peace to sort out what had just happened.

However, as they were ushering the suite's occupants from the room, everyone became suddenly alert when loudly a voice sang through Stargate Command, "Unscheduled off-world activation! General Landry, Harriman and SG-1, please report to the gate room at once!"

As much as the three members of SG-1 would have preferred to allow their sobbing teammate a chance to recover, they had to coax her down the hallways into the gate room where they awaited news of who was so unexpectedly and inconveniently dialling the Stargate. All Vala could ponder while she stared blankly as the symbols around the gate glowed and it span was that she was glad that Daniel had not arrived at the gate while only SG-1 was present, not that that would have put him off shouting at her, it seemed…


	20. Marriage is Out of the Question

**Author's Note:**

I really enjoyed writing the last chapter so I am glad to reintroduce a character who sort of fell off the Stargate SG-1 grid (or if you will, through the Supergate!) I do not wish to spoil the chapter for you, but I hope you like the addition of a known character but the chapter does end a bit abruptly but it's to make the next chapter even better! I have been getting a lot of writing done recently, most particularly since I've been spending a lot of time on trains with nothing but writing to do, so this story will be fully posted most likely by the end of next week! As ever, please do leave me reviews and let me know your opinions on the writing and the story in general.

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**Chapter XX – Marriage is Out of the Question**

While SG-1 waited patiently for the wormhole to form, Mitchell turned to Sam and asked, "Do you know who it could be? The Tok'ra would not need to call us now, surely? We've just kicked the last of the Goa'uld's ass!"

Sam shrugged, "I have no idea. It could be Jonas or Ry'ac…" Sam glanced at Teal'c, "or Ish'ta. The list goes on, and they're just some of the people who have IDC's, if it's someone without one, we're going to have to send a MALP through the gate to check it out."

"Maybe it's another one of my relatives coming to cause more trouble…"

Vala's friends all gave her a sympathetic glance as it dawned on them that as of late, she had been having an even rougher time than was usual for her.

Just then, as if the occupants of the control room had overheard SG-1's speculation, Walter's voice boomed as the event horizon manifested, "We have an IDC…" it was plain that the Chief was amazed at whose code it was.

Mitchell had not appreciated the pregnant pause, "Yeah, so…who is it, Walter?"

With a shake of his head, he replied, "The system reads that the code belongs to…Tomin?"

Sam groaned as he recognised the name of the dialler, "Oh, hell no," she was awfully aware that if there was one thing her feuding friends did not need right this minute was an unexpected visit from Vala's _husband_! Today was beginning to have all the trademarks of a disaster just getting worse and worse until there's a planet-wide nuclear crisis.

Vala's expression altered instantly from forlorn to hopeful – another sign that Tomin's arrival spelled trouble for her and Daniel – but she hollered, "Well, then, I was right and you should open the damned iris, Walter!"

He looked swiftly to the General for permission to lower the guard on the Stargate, but it was freely given by a man who would not have denied Vala anything after what he had just witnessed her take from the man she loved and who, reportedly, loved her.

Everyone was surprised that Vala's spirits had returned from their apparent abyss of a second ago to almost what they usually were and because of the forthcoming arrival of her husband. No one had actually met Tomin, but Daniel had seen him when he was aboard the Ori warship in the days after the birth of the Orici and Tomin had come to Vala in her room and they had…reconciled…with vigour.

The personnel of the SGC were curious to know what kind of man (who wasn't Dr. Jackson, of course) would marry Vala Mal Doran having only known her for such a short period of time. They all knew the tale of Vala's Darth Vader-esque pregnancy and now they were aware of how her daughter had been conceived by the Ori, but all knew that Vala had married Tomin out of necessity and then some sort of bond had caused her to genuinely care for her husband and there was the issue that the two had never actually gotten a divorce, so it would be an enigma as to what Vala would do in the light of her most recent conquest's actions of blatantly and callously humiliating her.

When the short and slightly stocky man strode across the event horizon with a fearful and apprehensive facial expression, Vala immediately ordered the gunmen who were perpetually stationed in the gate room to stand down and stop – as she put it – terrifying the living daylights out of her hubby. She was picking up Earth idioms with increasing speed and it showed…

Tomin, upon seeing a familiar and adored face, dropped his paltry belongings and ran to his estranged wife and enveloped her into his arms, where she went quite joyfully, to everyone's surprise and the rest of SG-1's disappointment.

Once the husband-wife reunion had endured for what Cameron deemed long enough, he went to them on the ramp and said amicably, "Hi there, Tomin, heard a lot about you from our Vala here. Name's Cameron, Lieutenant Cameron Mitchell and pleased to meet you."

Cameron's confidence and forwardness set an example to the others and Sam introduced herself in much the same way, but when Teal'c wandered up the ramp, Tomin took a cautious step away from the approaching intimidating physique of the Jaffa.

"Tomin, husband of Vala Mal Doran, I am Teal'c of Chulak and the Tau'ri," he nodded in respect to his friend's spouse, "I am honoured to make your acquaintance."

Tomin let forth a relieved snigger as he heard the sophistication and friendliness in the Jaffa's tone and he felt rather foolish to have been wary of him.

Vala joined in Tomin's laughs and slung her arm around Teal'c in a grateful hug, "Oh, Muscles, you never disappoint, do you?"

"Indeed, Vala Mal Doran," he said, smiling as he peered down at her at his side.

Vala clapped as she released Teal'c and took Tomin's hand as she drew him away from her team, whispering in his ear, "I just said that so you could hear him say 'Indeed'! He's so funny and it's basically his catchphrase."

Sam and Mitchell looked amused at Teal'c as the three of them heard Vala's words to Tomin as they walked down the ramp and towards General Landry who was standing there, patiently waiting to be introduced to the newcomer to Earth and make of him what he would. He had to try hard, though, not to let his prior knowledge of Tomin as a driven and almost fanatical follower of the Ori, for whom he had been prepared to sacrifice the life of the wife and unborn child whom he loved. That was something the General had struggled to get to grips with but he had it on good authority, that after the chaos that ensued under Adria and the Ori were eliminated, Tomin had had a gross change of heart…and more importantly, ideology.

"Tomin," Landry said with all the authority of his rank, shaking Tomin's hand, "pleased to meet you."

As Tomin was about to express his thanks to the head of the SGC for permitting him to come to Earth, Walter's voice once again said, "General, Dr. Jackson has just sent a message that he's been delayed but wants to know if the dial-in was urgent and is he actually required to be here."

Hank winced at the man's poor timing because the instant Walter said 'Dr. Jackson', Vala's face fell and as tears began to quietly stream down her cheeks, which had been in the process of regaining their vitality after Daniel's outburst with Tomin's return, but once she was reminded of the true sorrow that bore down on her heart, she descended into floods of tears and therefore, reached out for the nearest comforting presence she could and unfortunately, at that time, she fell weeping into the arms of Tomin.

Walter had his wrist pressing firmly down on the button of the microphone enabling two-way dialogue to occur between the gate room and the control room, so while Vala was weeping in the arms of her husband and he was murmuring comfort to her, the awkward presence of another was quickly felt.

"Never mind, I'm here now, what's goin-"Daniel inquired tersely, heard by all.

The sight before him on the other side of the glass made his heart beat box inside his breast and threaten to give him a one-way ticket to cardiac arrest. He instantaneously knew the face of the man with his arms draped around Vala, _clinging _to her as much as she was _gripping_ him back. He could not form a cogent thought, as desperate as he was to barrage the woman he loved for running straight back into the arms of her ex-husband because they had had – what was a pretty explosive – fight.

Vala reacted to the familiar, yet overwrought voice of her lover and once she had recalled in whose embrace she was currently seeking comfort, she backed away from Tomin and witnessed Daniel's glower just before he turned and for the second time in an hour, left her behind in his enraged wake.

Sam once more watched Daniel and Vala antagonise each, but she was growing more frustrated with Vala as the situation worsened. She was already livid with Daniel, but Vala's subsequent actions were immature and were not helping the situation any.

She decided to interfere, "So, Tomin, what's the purpose of this visit? Social call, is it?"

The rest of the room observed Tomin's change of expression and were growing ever more curious by the minute as to the reason for his arrival on Earth. Tomin had been surprised that Vala had suddenly erupted into floods of tears, seemingly without any cause and then when some man appeared in the control room she had retreated from him as if she had committed some heinous crime. He took a moment to judge the impression he had made on those he had just met before he revealed why he dialled the planet where he knew Vala was. The Jaffa's expression was indiscernible, the male and female Lieutenant Colonels looked at him with inherent distrust and as if he were some harbinger of death that had ascended from hell. General Landry merely surveyed him with curiosity. Vala, the wife whom he had sent away and whom he had doted on but never prioritised over the false gods he had held in such high esteem, was gazing at him with those beautiful, cloudy grey eyes that had made him fall in love with her, with genuine concern and anxiety in her uneasy expression.

"I am here because I have nowhere else to go," Tomin sighed, rubbing his forehead with grief he could not escape from, "as my home and the entire village was burnt to the ground by those who had been led astray by the Ori and sought to exact their revenge on the people who had done the Priors' bidding and enslaved them to the Ori and taken the sons of their villages here in the great crusade and returned without them."

Vala saw the sorrow and guilt threatening to crush him before he could complete his tale, so she reached out and in a compassionate gesture, took his rough hand in hers as she used to.

He smiled as his mind took him back to the times when it was just him and Vala, "Many were killed or taken as slaves themselves by those who had been treated in the same manner. A few of us managed to get away from the village and escape to the countryside. We had sent a call for help to some of the surrounding planets and one heeded our call, so we managed to get to a world that had a Stargate. There, we each went our separate ways and I only have Vala left in this world and I still possessed the device she gave me with the parchment instructing me what symbols would have to be used to reach Earth and then what digits I would have to key in to this thing so your shields would be lowered and I would not be killed in my attempt to find my wife."

Vala sighed as she heard her title leave his lips and pinched the bridge of her nose as she understood that she would have to seriously injure this man when she told him the truth about her and Daniel…if there even was a her and Daniel still. Yet the thought niggled in the back of her mind that Tomin's serendipitous arrival was no mere coincidence. His coming might be the only option left open to her, as Daniel seemed never to desire her company again. Maybe she ought to stay with her husband…

Cameron could see that Vala was undergoing some form of inner dialogue and discussion regarding Tomin's arrival and most likely, also her position as his wife or as Daniel's girlfriend and which she was truly destined to be. Cameron did not really give credence to fate but he did understand that once you were wed to someone, breaking the vow to love them forever and stay married forever was not a decision that should be made lightly nor with speed.

He decided to cut the girl a bit of slack, so with a nod to Landry, he firmly grasped Tomin by the elbow with a smile and said, "We'll just go on a short trip to the infirmary. Can't keep Caro-" he quickly realised his mistake and caught the glare Landry shot him, "Dr. Lam waiting."

"It's all right, Tomin, just procedure. I'm sure you understand." General Landry reassured the nervous man as he slapped Mitchell rather aggressively on the back and said with a cheeky smile, "I'll come with you and Colonel Mitchell." He knew full well that something was brewing between the young officer and his daughter, but he'd be damned before he let on, at least not until he'd had some fun with the guy that thought he was good enough to date his Carolyn.

Teal'c walked out of the gate room in pursuit of the trio, curious to know what might ensue when Mitchell arrived in the infirmary with Vala's husband and General Landry. He had observed Cameron and Carolyn Lam's relationship begin to blossom, despite her parentage, but it was also evident to the perceptive Jaffa that Landry was well aware of the situation but was keeping his knowledge of that fact a secret.

Once they had left, Sam grasped Vala's hand and led her from the gate room into an empty corridor, where she stood alert and looked directly into Vala's eyes as she said, "Vala, this has to stop now! I know what Daniel said and did earlier was dumb and trust me, I'm furious with him too, but you showing an interest in your husband and Daniel seeing you run back into his arms just after you have a fight is definitely _not _good," Sam took a deep breath before continuing on her rant, "Vala, you've betrayed him and everything his heart risked to take up with you."


	21. Betrayal & Guilt

**Author's Note:**

This is the chapter where Daniel takes the weight off his chest and it is as much of a relief to me as it is to him…I don't like unhappy and angry Daniel. I much prefer happy and funny Daniel, he's so much sexier. I would also like to address some of the issues raised in the reviews people so kindly have left for me to read: firstly, I chose to describe Vala's actions as immature to Sam because in her eyes, the mature and proper thing for Vala to do would have been to follow Daniel, which is something I envisioned happening between her and Jack if they ever got together, secondly, it was my intention to depict Vala and Tomin's reunion as a bit saccharin sweet, so it seemed as though she was glad he had arrived and went to him instead of her team for comfort. I also think that Vala changed since she met Daniel, so Cam's ability to sense what she's thinking is based on the fact that Daniel is an open character and she's starting to let her guard down around people she trusts. Also, the term 'fight' was meant loosely, as both are definitely at odds, I define that as a fight. Please do continue to read and review!

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**Chapter XXI – Betrayal & Guilt**

"_Vala, you've betrayed him and everything his heart risked to take up with you."_

As Vala heard her friend speak to her, she felt disgusted with herself. She could not believe she had betrayed the man she loved the second her husband had made contact. If Sam was right – and it occurred to her that Sam was never wrong – she had hurt Daniel even more than she had earlier in the day. She had acted while she wasn't thinking clearly and it had backfired, as it always did. She was now left without a way to fix whatever had gone wrong between her and Daniel, as the latter could not stand the sight of her.

Sam saw Vala's shoulders slump and she just sighed and walked away from her. Sam knew that it would take the younger woman some time before she sorted out what to do about her crumbling relationship. Now, Sam moved onto her final objective of the day: to find Daniel and verbally beat the crap out of the jerk.

She knew from experience of 'Moody Daniel' that after the events of the tumultuous day he had had there was only one place he could have retreated to: his study. As she strode towards his haven, Daniel was probably buried under some pile of research or work of some kind so he could distract himself from the problems he faced and keep the world at bay until he had figured out what to make of it. He had always been something of a workaholic and it did not help him make sense of his personal life, so Sam was first concerned with pulling the archaeologist away from his desk.

Upon entering his study, Sam saw Daniel hunched over his cluttered desk peering intently at a tablet which was surrounded by textbooks and journals. Daniel had not registered her presence in the room until she loudly cleared her throat, which prompted him to glance up at her briefly however he only invited her to take a seat without a single word said. She knew his unwillingness to speak to her was because he was scared of what might come out of his mouth in a moment of rage, for he had a propensity for uttering words in anger and then instantly regretting the injury they did to those who heard them.

She sat patiently for five minutes, waiting to see if the man who was like a brother to her would pluck up the decency to begin the inevitable conversation, but she grew tired of waiting for Daniel to make the first move, so she said sternly, "Daniel, what on Earth do you think you're doing?"

"Excuse me?"

She saw the outraged expression, but paid it no heed, "With Vala? What do you think you're doing treating Vala the way you have? Please explain it to me because frankly I've been shocked by some of the things I've heard you say to her. At the party, you completely barraged her. From what I saw, there was no way she could have anticipated your outburst and you didn't even give her a chance to reply, you just stormed out of the room!" Sam's tone was swiftly changing from annoyed to sheer fury, "You without a doubt humiliated her in a room filled with her only friends here. She's devastated and whereas you are completely aware of whatever it is that she's done – in _your _mind – to warrant such conduct, you've kept her in ignorance. So, I'll ask you again and don't even dream of telling me to mind my own business, what has made you so livid with her?"

Daniel sighed, trying to rub the grief and stress and anger he had felt out of his wearied eyes, "Sam, I've got to get this tablet translated before the next dial-in to Pegasus and I'm quickly running out of time. It needs to be done for two days' time and I thought it would be less complicated than it is, so please just leave me to get on with my work."

Not moved by the exasperation and pleading in his voice, Sam pressed him further, "Daniel…I'm sure the tablet can wait. Atlantis is not planning on going anywhere, so just put it aside for a time and answer me."

Daniel eyed her knowing full well that she meant every word she said and he would not get any peace until he levelled with his friend, so placing the artefact down, he sighed once more, "It's probably for the best I don't finish it, then I can _finally_, after two attempts, both foiled by Vala, get to Atlantis…"

Sam knew then and there just how much Daniel was suffering over his strife with his girlfriend and that she had been careless to demand he tell her what had prompted such raw and personal emotions to be revealed in so public a manner, "Daniel, that's just not true. You know – deep down – that you're happy Vala managed to change the path your life was about to take and that you love her. No one you didn't love as much as you adore her would be able to elicit such a reaction from you. That much I know about you…"

"It was the jokes that did it, Sam," Daniel said with a distinct huff, "George Ewkiss and his stupid jokes. He came over to us at the party and started commenting on my astounding death count," he saw Sam about to tell him he shouldn't have let such a dickhead bother him so much, "and that wasn't it, but when the topic of Vala dying more since she has met me and the probability of _our future children_ dying here, there and everywhere, something inside me just…snapped."

"Yeah, Daniel but why at Vala?" Sam asked with curiosity.

"It's fine when people joke about me dying, I can cope quite sufficiently with that, but when the person dying is joining in with the joke herself, then I don't understand what is so funny about that. In my life, I've loved so many people who have never been able to stick around: my parents, my grandfather, Sha're, Shifu…the list goes on and on. It," Daniel almost succumbed to the tears poised to be shed, "it breaks my heart, Sam, to think of Vala's name – and maybe any children we have – to be added to the roll of deceased people whom I have loved during my life."

The realisation of the turmoil she imagined her dear friend had gone through since that moment at the party was enough for the inquisitive blonde woman to understand just how insecure and fragile her friend's emotions were at times. It was something she had not seen that he shared along with Vala…

"Daniel, you ought to have dealt with all that differently. I can truly understand how it must have hurt you to have heard someone joke about Vala dying, but she doesn't know she did wrong. She's terrified of what it could be and she can't imagine if you're going to come back to her, though by what you've just said, I believe you are?"

Daniel gave Sam a look that would have been almost comic had the situation not been so grave, which in that situation would have had her on the floor in fits of laughter.

"I surely am, but what with Tomin's coincidental return, I doubt she ever wants to talk to me again after what I said and did to her."

Sam rolled her eyes, "Daniel, she was only hugging Tomin as a friend and if you'd actually have come down and met the man and witnessed her talk with him and us, you'd have seen that perfectly well for yourself. She only needed the comfort of a friend and Tomin just happened to be that friend, you really can't blame her for that. She and Tomin are estranged."

"But they're not _divorced_, are they?"

"No," she shook her head contritely, "they're not, but I suspect that was more because of the way in which Vala left him and how there was no time to fill in the paperwork for a divorce," Sam said sarcastically.

Daniel looked deep in thought as he wondered whether Vala would retreat and settle for her old husband now that her new lover had spurned her so, but he knew he must have a pretty good chance of winning her back even if she were considering Tomin again, for there were feelings shared between him and Vala since before she and Tomin had met, even if the affection that had grown into love had been unspoken for the longest time.

"What you need to do," Sam said, sensing her friend wonder what he should do (there was always a trademark expression for everything with Daniel), "is fully realise, o most intelligent of Daniels, "she winked, "that when Vala joined in the jokes with George, she wasn't trying to wound you. She did what she did for the same reasons that you acted in the way that you did. She simply adores you and to her, _her _death is an inconsequential matter because she values her life just about as much as you do yours! The thought of _you_, the man she loves, dying is as painful to her as her dying is unbearable for you. She has never reckoned herself to be good enough for you, Daniel, but she has tried so hard to prove to you, to us and to herself that she does deserve to be in love and loved by someone like you. She has succeeded in persuading us and you that, but I don't think she'll ever manage to truly believe herself worthy of you," Sam frowned at the archaeologist, now sitting in mild astonishment as he understood her, "and when you turned on her as you did, you – in a way – showed her that she was not deserving of your love and that she had betrayed you. So, in Vala's mind, you've proved her right, in spite of all of her efforts to prove you (and the rest of us, she thinks) wrong."

Daniel groaned, standing up to walk over to the only wall in the room that was bare from ancient prints and tapestries or charts of grammatical paradigms and begin to bash his head against it over and over, growing with force.

Sam watched as he tried to renovate his office using his head as the primary tool, but once she heard him grunt after a particularly hard head butt, she growled, "Daniel, stop being an idiot and leave the wall alone," as he returned to his desk, she continued, "and listen to me instead. Now, Tomin is here because he wants to start afresh and lead a life on Earth. It is obvious that he would like Vala to be a part of said fresh start, but I don't think she's made up her mind yet, so I am begging you as both your friend and Vala's, to fight for her and win her back because she _so _wants you to."

After saying her piece, the Colonel left the archaeologist in her wake to reflect on her advice and to start formulating a plan to win his girl back and this time, keep her!


	22. Vala & Tomin

**Author's Note:**

So Daniel and Vala each had to have chat with Sam in the last two chapters, but what happens when they are finally ready to face each other again? This was a chapter that made me weep as I wrote it, so I hope you enjoy it because it took all of me to write! I'm sorry if the recent chapters have disappointed, but I felt they were necessary to show the changes in both Daniel and Vala since meeting each other, hence some of Daniel's actions were more Vala-esque and vice versa. I hope you'll still continue to read and write reviews of this story, especially as there is not long to go now – only three more chapters after this one!

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**Chapter XXII – Vala & Tomin**

Although Vala had decided she would go and find her Daniel to attempt to patch things up between the two of them, not that she really understood how things had managed to deteriorate so rapidly in the first place, she instead opted to spend some time with Tomin so that she could sort out her true emotions before her encounter with her boyfriend. Tomin's sudden and unexpected arrival had thrown yet another spanner in the Vala-Daniel relationship and she needed to fully comprehend what could happen with Tomin before Daniel tried to sabotage their relationship once more.

Vala and Tomin were sitting comfortably apart on the sofa in Vala's quarters, which she kept for reading and for when company came a calling and it wasn't quite appropriate to be in bed, or even to invite them to sit on her bed, which was a lesson she had learnt during the time when her father was last on Earth and General Landry had played postman and all he could really do was stand awkwardly in her bedroom while she languished on her bed in her dainty pyjamas and curlers in her hair – no less!

She had been pleased by how they had easily fallen back into their old rapport, for they had always been able to talk to each other with such ease that she relished it once more. They spent what felt like days just talking about the insignificant and paltry events which had shaped both of their lives since they had last parted ways.

Tomin said forlornly, "Vala, there's something I must confess to you," he looked at her as she gestured with a smile for him to go on, "my life did not get better after you left. I remained bound to the Ori and the deeds I committed in their name…I am filled with shame at what I _had _to do. I led pillages and raids on unsuspecting settlements that had rejected Origin and most of whom did not have the means or the foresight to front a resistance to the armies of the Ori. I was put in command of two legions to convince nonbelievers to submit to Origin, but they were the legions despatched to the most irksome of planets to bring about the right way through the most violent and horrific means necessary."

"What do you mean, Tomin?" Vala asked tentatively as she felt her mouth dry.

"I ordered them to take the women and…some of the children after burning the men in the fires of Celestis when they did not accept the wisdom of Origin."

Vala could imagine all too well what Tomin meant by 'take the women', which she had been the victim of herself – in a manner – during her time as the host for Qetesh. It shattered her heart into a thousand pieces to think of a man, who when she had first met him would have struggled to swat a fly, being capable of being complicit in such atrocious violence. She thought she had left him in a state of true repentance and reform, but it seems that once her influence had abandoned him to the Ori, he had not had the strength of character to see his promises through…but then again, he had journeyed to Earth to find her and to try to build a new existence for himself in healthier company.

"Vala, I truly did not mean to commit such heinous crimes, but I was under the control of the Priors until quite recently. It must have been precisely around the time when the Orici was destroyed," he eyed her warily, "that I began to really see what I had become and how my actions were repugnant and inhuman…that I began to repent of my deeds and wish to return to my wife."

Vala's eyes nearly glowed with the sadness that invaded her the minute he called her his wife, but she knew from his words and his manner from the time she watched him step through the Stargate right until now that _her _Tomin had returned and was not the same man who was responsible for the murder of many innocent souls and the rape and torture of the pure in heart and strong of spirit, who had been courageous enough to repel the invasion of the Ori into this galaxy.

"Tomin, I can see in your eyes," Vala raised her hand to softly cup his cheek and watched him smile back at her as he recollected the day his leg had been healed and she had done the same thing on that occasion, "that you truly are sorry for what you have committed while you believed in the Ori, but I am so glad, so glad that now you can see that they aren't real gods, but impostors. We are all human and we all make mistakes as such, so I would be the biggest kind of hypocrite if I didn't sincerely forgive you for what you have done in the name of the Ori."

Tomin smiled appreciatively at her kind gesture, "Vala, don't think I also haven't noticed that you've been skirting around the issue of our marriage. You get uncomfortable every time I call you 'my wife' and it is becoming slowly more clear to me that you don't want to be married to me, so can we talk about that?"

Vala saw the longing and disappointment in his eyes and she couldn't stand that in the same day, she had managed to hurt two of the men whom she had cared about most in her life so badly and burst into tears, "Tomin, I'm sorry, I just don't know any more. I mean you know I married you because I was pregnant and I had _no other_ choice, but then I did fall in love with you but you left with the Ori ships. Since I came back here, I have been in a relationship with Daniel and everything was so perfect, but something happened and everything's really messed up and I don't know what to do about it!"

Tomin took pity on the weeping woman before him and let her crawl towards him on the sofa and wrap her arms around his neck and ruin the shirt he was wearing. Little did either of them know how severe the consequences of such an action would be.

"Vala, what the hell are you doing?" an angry voice yelled from the now ajar door of Vala's bedroom.

Vala swiftly removed herself from Tomin and looked at Daniel's livid face with her own bloodshot, red eyes, "Daniel, I…"

"I know that I screwed up…big time but if you didn't know what had made me so angry you could have just asked me!" Daniel pointed angrily at the other man, "but instead you ran straight to _him_ and now, you don't know if you want to be married to him. So, everything we've said to each other recently, I should just pretty much ignore because you are clearly still in love with him and I was just a good fill-in for Tomin!"

"You are being so unreasonable, Daniel," Vala had decided it was her turn to fire some bullets of her own, "you didn't give me a chance to come and find you and ask what I'd done to deserve the humiliation you heaped on my doorstep. I greeted Tomin as any friend would have greeted a friend, there was nothing in it. I'm sorry for whatever it is that I've done to upset you so much," Vala's expression softened, "but please just calm down so we can talk about this properly."

Daniel knew in his heart she was speaking sense, so after a few therapeutic deep breaths, he said quietly, "Vala, I am sorry, but you have no idea what it's like seeing you with him. I should have handled my feelings better but I wish you'd have come and talked to me about it – you know I can fly off the handle sometimes – because after I'd have apologised _profusely_ to you for being such an ass, it would have been me who would've been comforting you and making you feel better…" Daniel huffed, "not him."

Tomin had patiently watched and heard as the rowing lovers had had it out with each other, but since his presence was becoming a gross part of Dr. Jackson's argument against Vala and in the light of her recent confession to him, he found the strength to intercede, "Dr. Jackson, I understand that something has been going on between you and my wife recently, however, in light of whatever it was that you said to her, I believe I have the right to be of comfort to her because as I have just said," Tomin paused as Vala groaned and slumped back into the sofa, "I am her husband and it is every husband's job to ease the worries and fears of his wife."

"She's not yours anymore, Tomin," Daniel rebutted with conviction, "not when I truly love her and actually know her, which is far more than you ever really did. After all, she did wed you out of desperation and then, after the two of you grew closer, you abandoned her for your religion, which turned about to be misplaced faith, even put her life in danger."

Vala was stunned that these two men in particular were fighting for her. She had previously had men duel for the possession of her, but she had never before vested so much emotionally in relationships before as she had with both of the men who were vying for her approval.

Daniel looked at Vala, "I would never choose any faith, religion or credo over Vala's life. I can promise that much, nothing is more precious to me than that."

Vala and Daniel locked eyes for what seemed like an eternity and you could have heard a pin drop in the room, for Tomin did not say anything either, but watched as the two lovers became encapsulated with each other and felt no need to put their feelings into words. He did not know if he ought to leave them be, but he could not just wander about Stargate Command as a recent alien arrival to Earth, so he stayed put.

Finally, Vala cleared her throat and looked at both of the men, before saying with as much authority as she would ever utter a word with, "Look, I've had a bit of a day and I'm too tired to think about what to do right now. It's late and I would heartily appreciate it if the both of you would just leave me be and let me think about what I have to do now."

Tomin immediately left her room so that the guard outside could escort him back to the quarters that the General had assigned to him. With a nod, Daniel made for the door and just as he was about to walk through it, he was stalled by a final question.

"Why did you do it?"

Daniel rested his head against the edge of the door for a moment before turning to face the woman whom he had so ruthlessly shaken and murmuring just loud enough so she could hear, "I did it because I love you too much to think about you ever dying," before walking out the door.

Those words would haunt Vala's dreams that night and at some point during the early hours of the morning she recalled the conversation at the party which concerned her death and felt all the hurt that Daniel had endured in the moments before his tolerance faltered and he had screamed at her for being party to such injurious words. Once again, Vala's heart was being torn in two and her decision as to what to do with it was not being made any easier by those doing the vociferous tugging…


	23. A Family Entire

**Author's Note:**

I'm glad a lot of you have started liking the story again after the last two chapters. For the record, I don't like Daniel as a dick, I much prefer him as a great guy that makes a great couple with Vala! With only two chapters left, I would like to know if you think that if I wrote a sequel where the idea would be Daniel and Vala going to Atlantis to have some fun and japes with the Atlantis personnel, along with some SG-1 characters, it would be a potentially good idea, so in your reviews let me know what your thoughts are on this suggestion (they would be much appreciated!) I also would like to warn readers now that I don't think this gorgeously long chapter quite reaches the M-rating, but there is some smut in it, which was fun to write so I hope you all enjoy the end of the angst! Enjoy the last couple of chapters of this fanfiction and please review them too!

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**Chapter XXIII – A Family Entire**

Tomin slept well, much better than he had in years, which he had put down to his renewed proximity to Vala. She had always been as a balm to his troubled sleep. It had been one of the things that had initially brought them closer together. They both were accustomed to lying awake at night, having been jolted from their sleep by paralysing nightmares. On their first night together, they had woken at dawn both surprised that it was not still dark and that their sleep had not been plagued by the usual nightmares. Tomin liked to imagine that it was then when Vala realised she could easily fall in love with a man like him.

Tomin was currently being escorted to the commissary by two burly air force officers, who probably had much better things to do with their time than play babysitter for him. When he was deposited there, he saw two people, a man and a woman, who were both not dressed in the BDU's or white coats which literally everyone mulled around the SGC in. He assumed these were the people who were occupying the room next to his and who had been having a very loud argument about their daughter – he thought – ignoring them since they arrived. He was about to receive the shock of his life when he discovered just whose parents they were.

"Hi, do you mind if I join you?" Tomin asked shyly.

Jacek looked up in surprise, "Sure, son, take a seat."

"So, how come you're holed up here?" Tomin looked awkward, "Heard about your daughter. Does she work here?"

"Sure, our girl works here. She's on the SG-1 team."

"Oh, you're Colonel Carter's parents? Well, nice to meet you, I'm Vala, her teammate's husband," Tomin leaned over the table with his hand extended.

Jacek and Adria looked at each other in astonishment, "You're Vala's husband? Vala Mal Doran's husband?"

Tomin nodded, uncertain as to what exactly had caused them to look so shocked.

Adria smiled, "We are not Sam Carter's parents, dear, we are Vala's parents. So I guess that makes us your in-laws, though I must say, I am somewhat startled to hear she's married, especially considering that she and Dr. Jackson seem to be quite the lovebirds."

"Yeah…we were married before they got involved. She married me when she was thrown into the Ori galaxy and she found out she was carrying the Orici. She would not have survived had her condition have been discovered, so I was the easiest route out of a tricky situation for her. Now, I'm back here to try and start a new life for myself, hopefully with my wife, though something is telling me that's not likely."

Jacek reached over and slapped Tomin hard on the shoulder, "There's a boy after my own heart! That's exactly what we're here for: to start a new life on this fair planet with our daughter. Good on you, son!"

Vala hung back in the doorway to the mess hall as she observed her legal family interacting and seemingly, bonding. She could not hear what they were talking about, but they must know that they were each related to her, as they appeared to be acting like old friends. It seemed like the most perfect painting of a family eating breakfast together, with the exception of the daughter and wife, whom they had spotted lingering by the door and were beckoning over.

Vala stopped by the counter to pick up her usual large breakfast tray, which the commissary staff actually had taken to preparing before her arrival so there was no danger of her arriving and her favourite foods being already taken. She took her seat next to Tomin and smiled freely as she dug into her morning meal.

"So, Vala honey, how come you never mentioned this handsome as hell husband of yours to your folks?"

"Well, I, we," Vala spluttered as she tried with all her might to piece together an explanation. She was unsuccessful.

Tomin took her hand gently in his, "It's all right, Vala, I know why you didn't tell your parents about me," Vala was about to interject to tell him that actually he had no idea why she had kept it quiet, but he continued, "I was a quick decision that got you out of a tough fix but now I think we can be so much more than we were. This time _you_ are my priority and there's nothing I wouldn't sacrifice for your life."

In that second, Vala heard Daniel's voice through Tomin's. The spoonful of cereal that had been on the way to her mouth had completely lost her attention, which had been diverted to a memory of Daniel saying something similar to her (or was it to Tomin?) last night. She thought about her Daniel and what he would be doing right now and laughed to herself as she knew exactly what the love of her life would be doing. He would be sitting in his study reading some sort of ancient text or a treatise on some new discovery of ancient civilisation. He would forget breakfast as he would be deep in his own world and probably wouldn't eat until dinner, as SG-1 had no missions planned.

"Guys, look I'm really sorry, but I've got to go see someone important," Vala said as she left the table, leaving behind her a nearly full tray of food.

Tomin knew where Vala was headed. He knew how much she loved her food and there was only one person, one man she'd abandon her tray for. He guessed he had just given her the answer she wanted and deserved when he had paraphrased exactly what Daniel had said the previous night. He didn't deserve Vala and he had showed her just how much Daniel understood her by trying to emulate Daniel's feelings towards her. Meeting her parents had been the last straw. She didn't want someone who could be so…intimate with her parents, whom he had gathered from their brief conversation that she actually wasn't so close to her father and stepmother. She needed someone who was only hers…and that wasn't him now.

Vala went back to the food counter to pick up a few sundries for a certain workaholic with an astounding ability to forget meal and caught the staff off-guard.

"Vala, honey," Maggie, the dinner lady said, "what's wrong? Did we forget anything off your tray? I double checked it…"

She was sincerely touched by the concern so many of the SGC personnel showed her, "No, Maggie, but you know Dr. Jackson," she said, picking up items to take to Daniel, "and how he never remembers to eat on his own."

Maggie smiled kindly at her friend. She had been at _the _party, where everyone had seen the altercation between the two lovebirds and she knew the two had not been able to reconcile afterwards, so it warmed her heart to think that they were back on the road to a happy ending.

Vala skipped out of the commissary in the direction of Daniel's office, her arms laden with breakfast items she knew Daniel loved. It amazed her that someone who – like her – enjoyed food so much could forget that he required it to function normally so often. She spent a nervous moment outside the closed door of Daniel's study before knocking lightly on the door.

"Come in!"

With a deep sigh, she went through the door, brandishing the food like a talisman, hoping with all her heart that it would be sufficient to allow her to stay in the office with Daniel and not be violently ushered out the door. Though, she had a feeling that after Daniel's words last night and her realisation of her crime this morning, she would once again be welcome in his office and in his heart.

"Vala…" Daniel said warily, "what are you doing here?"

Vala shook the cereal bars in his face and exclaimed, "Food, Daniel! I knew you wouldn't stop for breakfast so," she suddenly turned shy, "so, I brought you some food."

Daniel rose and walked over to her slowly, smiling at her thoughtfulness and took the food she was only just managing to hold on to out of her hands and placed it on the table, "Kind of surprised to see you this morning, Vala."

Vala returned his smile and placed a hand on his cheek, "Daniel, I know what I did and I am truly sorry. I should never have joined in the jokes; of course, death is not a joke, especially for you."

Daniel felt the sincerity of her apology and engulfed her in a tight embrace, tucking her head beneath his chin, where it fit so snugly it felt like they were made as a pair. It felt so much better with the air having been cleared between them. The world did not feel right when he and Vala were fighting…for real and he'd be lying if he said he hadn't missed the intimacy that had become normal for the two of them.

Though Vala's voice was muffled as her lips were ensconced by the wool of his sweater, she managed to whisper, "I love you and I only want to be with you in this life and the next," she clung tighter and tighter to him with every word, "and you're the only family that I'll ever want or need…unless we have kids or your grandfather turns up, or someone else joins SG-1, because Jack, Sam and Teal'c are my family too and I want to be your family and I don't like being a person who makes you so angry, so I'm sorry for that and-"

Whereas Daniel normally found her rants quite endearing and cute, on this occasion, he was not prepared, nor able, to let her get to the end of this one, so in one fell swoop he gripped her firmly behind the neck and brought her lips to meet his, solving both the problem of her incessant ranting and his growing desire to demonstrate to her the only good reason why they should ever get into a fight.

Vala was surprised, but happy to have her lips consumed by Daniel in a kiss that was full of his passion and regret. She clutched at the edge of his sweater and had it have been a t-shirt it would have ripped under her nails. She felt the intensity of the moment heighten as Daniel's own hands moved to push her with force back against the wall, knocking down a canvas of hieroglyphs as he did so her length was held entirely between him and the wall with no room for escape, not that she wanted to be anyplace else.

She pulled the sweater over his head, leaving his chest bare and free for her to explore at will. She loved the feeling of his muscles under her fingers more than any other feeling she had experienced in her life. Daniel took her face back in his hands and plunged his lips back onto hers for too brief a moment before retreating to allow her shirt to be guided from her body and then her bra to follow suit. As he took in the breath-taking sight before him he knew he had found the right woman for him and that he would never be parted from her again. As Vala pulled him back to her and kissed him once more passionately and wrapped her arms around him in a chokehold, he extracted one of his arms from their entangled embrace so he could lock the door to his office.

After Daniel had removed the rest of Vala's clothing and it was strewn haphazardly around the room and she had made light work of the rest of his clothes, he picked her up effortlessly and carried her over to the cot he kept in his study for those nights when he could not manage the short walk back to his quarters and laid her down smoothly under him. With every moan and sound of pleasure she expressed, his need to please her grew.

As she wrapped her slender legs around his hips, he pressed his advantage, "I love you, Vala," he said as he looked her deep in her gorgeous, grey eyes before they were past the point where he could speak with intelligence.

She looked back at him, "I love you too, my Daniel," she said, though her words swiftly turned into giddy giggles as she was fully taken by the man she loved and they had a delightful morning of fun.


	24. Honest Promises

**Author's Note:**

Thank you to everyone who has written reviews! I have been flabbergasted by the number and content of the reviews, so you guys are simply great readers to have. The question of a sequel is still out there, so I would heartily appreciate your opinions on that also, especially as this is the last chapter per se of the story, as the next and actual last one is going to be written more in the style of an epilogue to the story. I am already feeling withdrawal symptoms from writing this and I haven't even finished writing it yet (what am I like?) but it's been one of my favourite stories to write, so I hope you've enjoyed what I've done with Vala and Daniel in it. Remember to write me some more lovely reviews so that I can do some reading too!

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**Chapter XXIV – Honest Promises**

Vala and Daniel had spent the rest of the day holed up in Daniel's kooky little study. After their morning's activity, the breakfast Vala had brought for Daniel was shared between them and satisfied their hunger until mid-afternoon, when Vala left the room only to return bearing more delicious treats from the commissary. She had almost gone wearing nothing but her underwear, but just as she was about to unlock the door, Daniel shouted at her to 'put some damn clothes on', so they did not reveal to the entire SGC that their reunion had occurred as a resounding success and included very hot and heavy make-up sex.

Vala had wanted to get some proper food in her when evening came, but Daniel was far too comfortable with her wrapped tidily in his arms and not having to don any clothes that he got her the phone and had her call the commissary.

"Hi, Maggie, I was just wondering," Vala's tone turned to a persuasive, yet insanely cute manner, "and I'm sorry to ask this, but I'm currently dealing with an incredibly immature and demanding _child_," she said with a pointed look at the man snickering beside her on the cot, "who would like to be fed but won't leave his office. Do you reckon you could put a couple of trays worth of food – whatever's left over – in a box and have it brought to Dr. Jackson's office?"

On the other end of the phone, Maggie smiled, happy beyond words that Vala and Daniel had reached an obviously happy reconciliation, "Sure, Vala, that's not a problem. Just give me a half an hour and I'll send somebody down with a hamper for you guys."

"Thank you, darling."

Vala had only just hung up the phone when Daniel pulled her back down to place a kiss on her moist lips. They then fell off the cot, when Daniel tried to coax her beneath him but failed and they both tumbled from the furniture to the hard floor in a laughing mess. Neither could – in fact – recall being so carefree and full of glee at any stage in their life but the return of their infectious love had rendered the serious Dr. Jackson and the flippant Vala Mal Doran as giddy as children.

After Daniel watched as Vala gracefully placed herself back on the cot and waited for him to join her there, an idea popped into his mind and he grinned inanely to himself, proud of himself for remembering it. It had originally occurred to him days ago, while Vala was still recovering from her injuries and he had gone to a store and purchased it from a jewellery shop near Cheyenne Mountain a few days ago.

He went to the hook on which his brown leather jacket was hung and retrieved a small purple velvet box from the breast pocket. He had wanted to present this to Vala after the party, when they should have been alone together, but that original plan had quickly gone to pot thanks to, well, him. Actually, he was glad he hadn't given the piece of jewellery to her on that occasion, because now felt so much more right for such a gesture.

Vala was curious as to why Daniel had seemingly declined to return to her side in bed for another round of lovemaking but he had been distracted by an object in his jacket pocket. She couldn't help but feel slightly slighted but when her lover turned back and walked towards her, she glimpsed the item he was holding out to her. It was a jewellery box. One like men present to women in the movies…when they were about to ask the woman they loved to marry them at the end of the movie. This thought frightened Vala. She knew she was head over heels in love with the tender-hearted man gliding towards her in all his morning glory, but she also knew full well that in no world was she ready to be married to him. This was going to be awkward…especially just after they had made up after the last fight.

To her unremitting surprise, Daniel did not go down on one knee, as was customary in such films where a man would propose marriage to the woman he loved. Maybe she was mistaken in his intentions…

"Vala, would you do me the honour," Daniel started hesitantly as he perched on the edge of the cot beside her, "of wearing this ring for me?"

As Daniel revealed the contents of the box, Vala was intrigued by the design of the ring inside the box. She had been led to believe from the movies she had been exposed to and what Sam had told her that engagement rings were typically silver bands bearing a diamond, or more than one precious stone. This ring was nothing like that…instead it was crafted in the shape of a heart with a crown above it and in the centre of the heart, there was a beautiful and simple circular cyan gemstone which she believed was called an opal and was quite valuable on Earth.

Daniel watched with delight as her expression went from fright to curiosity to shock to interest to confusion to pleasure. He wished he'd have had the foresight to have filmed her face with his camcorder because it would have been an Academy Award-worthy film to be entitled, "50 Shades of Mal Doran". He had heard all the female SGC workers talking about some book with a similar title and apparently it was full of Goa'uld-like sexual practices, which made the powers that be pose the theory that the author was in fact an operative of The Trust who was trying to send a secret messages to any remnants of the Goa'uld still out there. Daniel thought that this theory held no value and it was clear to him and the rest of SG-1 that it made it very clear that those in the highest control of all things extra-terrestrial in the USA had never encountered a Goa'uld.

Daniel extracted the ring from its satin casing and reached for Vala's right hand to place the ring gently on her ring finger. As they both watched as he performed the task, Daniel could feel Vala tense up and once the ring had been put in its proper and rightful place, Daniel raised her hand to his lips and planted a chaste kiss on top of the heart on her newest piece of jewellery.

"Vala, this ring is called a Claddagh ring or a _fáinne Chladaigh_ in Irish Gaelic. It is a type of promise ring. Some use it as an engagement ring," Daniel laughed at the immediate look of terror on the face of his beloved, "others – including myself – use it as a predecessor to an engagement ring, like when they feel that they truly love the wearer but are not ready for matrimony yet."

Vala's blush began to dissipate as the pressure lifted from her shoulders…or more specifically, her finger, "So, it's not an engagement ring?"

Daniel shook his head, "No, sweetheart, I know I'm not ready for that just yet and from your expression, I think you agree and I know you're not ready for such a big step yet either, so don't fret about it. What this ring does mean though is," Daniel pointed at the heart, "that you are in a serious relationship and we are serious about each other. That's what wearing the ring on your right hand with the heart's point in the direction of your wrist means. _That_ is ok, isn't it?"

Vala's eyes began to brim over with salty tears, "Daniel…it's the sweetest thing…I can't believe it…" Vala brushed the tears from her eyes, "when did you get it?"

Daniel hugged her snugly, overwhelmed himself by the strength of her emotional response to his gift, "I bought it when you were in the infirmary after we arrived home from P3X2990. I had intended to give it to you after the Defeat of Laverna shindig, but obviously it wasn't the right time," he smiled knowingly, "but this moment, right now seemed the ideal time to reaffirm our love, don't you think?"

Vala laughed, "Daniel, as always – well as pretty often – you are completely and utterly correct."

"Oh and by the way, you'll be so totally impressed with me for this, "Daniel winked playfully, "the gemstone is opal because I thought that it was the best match for both your sets of BDU's, so you won't have to worry about it clashing with the clothes you normally wear."

Vala let out a blissfully happy snigger and gripped a wad of his short hair and kissed him full on the lips and let her tongue dance with his as she thanked him for knowing her so well without any words at all.

"Message received," Daniel said suavely in the style of William Shatner.

Vala frowned as she fiddled with her newest ornament and mumbled hesitantly, "It's the most perfect present anybody's ever given me, but not wanting to put a dampener on how happy we are at the moment, I need to decide what to about the influx of my relatives, including Tomin and I would very much like you to help me make that decision."

Daniel stroked her cheek in a futile attempt to relieve her of some of her worry, "Vala, they are your family and I can't tell you what to do, but whatever you do," he kissed her on the forehead, "as long as you come back to me at the end of the day, I'll be happy no matter what. So, all in all, honey, I don't care whether the three of them, or the two of them, or none of them stay on Earth or go elsewhere to start their clean slates, as long as you're happy, then so will I be."

If Daniel's words were not enough to make her cry, the kiss that followed was did just the trick. As Daniel's sweet lips met hers, they were swiftly washed in the saltiness of her free-flowing tears. Daniel's lips and tongue moved to try and kiss away her tears but more fell to replace those that her lover tasted, so his attention turned to trying to make the crier herself feel better.

Once Vala managed to stop crying, she whispered, "Daniel love, I never want to be away from you…" she clawed at the very bottom of her heart for enough love to communicate her true desire, "not ever. Nothing will ever be able to take you away from me because I'd die before I let that happen."

Vala's eyes widened as she realised she had just brought up the forbidden topic of her own demise in front of Daniel, but he did not seem to mind so much as when it had been in jest. He seemed to truly appreciate the sentiment and emotion that caused her to speak such words and permitted her to carry on talking.

"You make me a better person and you're the half that makes me whole. When we're together, I no longer have to search for that half and I can merely exist as myself," Vala finished as Daniel began to kiss the length of her arm, clearly trying to revisit their pastime of earlier during the day. All she knew was that her parents and Tomin could wait because her Daniel and she had to do something far more important and she was going to enjoy it.


	25. Epilogue: Together for Eternity

**Author's Note:**

This is it! The final frontier, the final chapter! I'm heartbroken to have reached the end of the story, especially as it didn't take me particularly long to write. Much like "Firefly", I got so into it and it has been so good that I am bereft now that there's no more, however, even if one of you expresses the willingness to see a sequel (with much less angst, I promise!) then I would be happy to oblige. Please, now that we've reached the end of this particular journey, review it and the story as a completed whole, because I would be fascinated to know your opinions, as I always am! Otherwise, thanks to everyone who has been continuously reading and submitting reviews, it's been a pleasure to write for you and I hope you read some of my other stuff. Am also hoping to write a John Sheppard/Elizabeth Weir and/or a Rodney McKay/Jennifer Keller fanfiction in the future, so also let me know thoughts on this! I have posted the first chapter of the sequel along with this one. The sequel is called "**The Apple & Its Tree**" so look it up and hope you enjoy reading and reviewing that one too!

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**Chapter XXV – Epilogue: Together for Eternity**

After Daniel had gifted Vala with a Claddagh ring things had gone from strength to strength for them. Two months later, he presented her with a red velvet box that did indeed contain a diamond engagement ring that he spent quite a chunk of the past year's salary on, but told her she was most certainly worth every dime. A few weeks after they announced their engagement, Daniel had become so exasperated by his fiancée's incessant wedding planning, aided by the indomitable Samantha Carter and surprisingly, Teal'c that they drove out to Vegas (with all their friends, of course!) and tied the knot there and had a fabulous fortnight's worth of a honeymoon.

General Jack o'Neill has not stopped making the joke since about a month and a half after their honeymoon that they must have had too great a time in Vegas because a month and a half later, Vala peed on a stick and a small '+' sign announced some pretty big news for the newlyweds. Daniel is thrilled. Vala is scared shitless but equally as overjoyed as her husband. Vala has not been off-world since Carolyn happily confirmed her condition, but to console her and stop her from being bored to death at Stargate Command, the Jacksons were finally granted permission to dwell permanently outside Cheyenne Mountain and Daniel – to the shock horror of their friends – gave Vala her own credit card so she could renovate _their _apartment and install all the things they needed for the baby that they needed and she desired.

Vala was now 5 months pregnant and her bump was clearly visible. Though Vala has been off active duty for the longest time, Daniel could not afford to leave SG-1, so he reluctantly left his wife at home while he walked through the Stargate. However, the rest of the team had noticed how he had begun to change the way in which he walked through the event horizon, but they did not know if his manner had altered consciously or not. He had started to face away from the Stargate just as he stepped through much like his wife was wont to do. The SGC personnel who were stationed in the gate room reckoned the change in Dr. Jackson's attitude was a tribute to his expecting wife, who regrettably could not accompany her friends through the Stargate and do her signature step to another planet.

Daniel had also adopted one of his father-in-law's standard gestures that he used to do for his daughter when he had to leave her behind whilst he travelled to other planets, though what each man did while he was away from Vala differed to wildly great extents. Every time he was forced to leave home, Daniel would try his best to find some trinket or ornament from the planet SG-1 were exploring to gift Vala. It cheered her immensely when she was stuck at home with nobody who had the time to visit her, Daniel would bring back a dainty necklace or bracelet for her. She had been thrilled to bits when her team had come back from PX90119 a few weeks ago, just as her baby bump was beginning to show properly as Daniel had returned with two gifts in hand: one for her and one for their unborn child. He had brought her a beautifully carved wooden bracelet that was apparently one traditionally given by a father-to-be to his pregnant wife. She had wept with joy when she had received such a beautiful piece, but when Daniel handed her an even more stunning wooden charm for an infant's cradle, she had not been able to stop crying for hours…bloody pregnancy hormones!

In the days after she and Daniel had reconciled, Tomin and her parents had come to see both of them together to inform them that they had been offered a different life, one which they were all happy to accept in the Pegasus Galaxy. During a scheduled dial-in to Atlantis, Hank had mentioned to Richard Woolsey that he had three relatives of Vala who were trying to set up a new life for themselves on Earth, but asked offhand if there were any openings in Atlantis for a conman, his conniving wife and a former ranking officer of the Ori fleet and to his surprise, Woolsey said that actually their presence might come in handy and he was prepared – for Vala's sake – to allow them to take the Odyssey on its next scheduled trip and join the base staff there.

It had been three months to the day since the three of them had left Earth, but all of them kept in regular contact with Vala and they had been present at her wedding (even Tomin) and were excited for the arrival of Vala and Daniel's new baby. As far as Vala and Tomin's situation panned out, it was decided in a council headed by the President of the United States himself with Generals Landry and o'Neill in attendance that Vala and Tomin's marriage could be considered annulled and that Daniel and Vala could just get married as they pleased with no legal impediment.

Vala sat in their apartment that was packed with boxes that formerly contained baby furniture and toys, immersed in a magazine about mothers-to-be and what she had to look forward to as far as actual childbirth and the rest of the pregnancy were concerned. She expected Daniel to step through the front door any minute. SG-1 and SG-8 had been hastily summoned to go to a planet where SG-5 had managed to get themselves cornered and under fire, needing rescue and all members of the rescuing teams had been on call, she had gotten a phone call from Walter detailing the current situation but reassuring her that Daniel would come home safe and sound and the only danger was that he would be late home for dinner.

As Vala made out the pleasant jingle of her husband's keys as he unlocked their front door, she got up and headed for the door, where she was met with an ardent kiss as a pair of strong hands cupped her head and pulled her closer to his warm body.

"I hope you're my husband, or I'm going to be in a world of trouble when he gets home," Vala whispered seductively as they both took a breath.

Daniel laughed deeply, "I surely am, sweetheart," he bent so his head was at the level of her waist, "and if you don't recognise me, I'm sure this little tyke knows his daddy's voice."

Vala placed her hand on his head and mussed his hair as he dotted kisses on the expanding mound of her belly.

Vala huffed, "Are you and your son quite done yet, Dr. Jackson? Your wife's getting mighty jealous…" she crooned teasingly.

With a snort, Daniel worked his way up her torso until they were inches from each other and he could gaze into her eyes that were radiant with impending motherhood, "Well then, Mrs Jackson, I'll have to do my best to quell your jealousy, not that anyone," he kissed her on her nose, "could," he kissed her on her chin, "ever," his lips brushed her forehead, "take your place in my heart," as he concluded, he kiss her full on the lips and gripped her firmly, lifting her into his arms bridal style and moving in the direction of their bedroom.

"I'm exhausted, Vala, so fancy coming to bed with me?" Daniel said seductively.

"Darling, that's an offer I'll never be able to refuse," Vala shoved open their bedroom door, "so let's to bed, my Daniel…I can't wait!"


End file.
